Giant Carrot Cake Cookie

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This Giant Carrot Cake Cookie brings together my two all-time favourite bakes into one easy, crowd-pleasing dessert! It captures all the sweet, spiced flavours of classic carrot cake baked into a soft and chewy cookie with crisp edges and a gooey centre. This one-bowl recipe is perfect to whip-up for Easter, springtime gatherings, garden parties, or bake sales. Top with swirls of tangy cream cheese frosting and mini chocolate orange eggs for an Easter finish!

Your Ingredients List

Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the odugh and gives the cookies a soft, moist and chewy texture.
Sugar: This recipe uses white caster sugar and light brown sugar. The white sugar crisps up the edges, whilst the brown sugar gives the cookie tart a gooey middle and subtle caramel flavour.
Eggs: Gives the cookie structure and brings richness. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 medium eggs (one whole egg, and one egg yolk).
Vanilla extract: The signature flavour of cookie dough! Choose a quality extract like Nielsen-Massey (trust me, it’s worth it!).
Self-raising flour: Gives the cookie tart structure and rise. You can use plain all-purpose flour instead, just remember to add 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder for the raising agent.
Spices: Ground cinnamon and mixed spice bring that classic warm and cosy carrot cake flavour.
Orange zest: Infuses the cookie with a bright, zesty and citrus flavour.
Carrot: Grated and folded into the cookie dough. The water is squeezed out of the carrot to give the cookie a crisp and chewy texture, rather than cakey.
Walnuts: Adds a little crunch in each bite! Finely chop the walnuts so they’re more evenly distributed throughout the cookie. Not a fan of walnuts? Swap for pecans, or leave them out altogether.
Cream cheese frosting: The perfect topping! The frosting is a simple combination of butter, icing sugar and cream cheese. Avoid using low-fat or ‘light’ cream cheese, as this will result in runny frosting.
For the carrot decoration: Let’s face it, all cookies need a little chocolate and chocolate orange compliments carrot cake beautifully! I pressed Terry’s mini chocolate orange eggs and mini green Smarties into the top of the cookie using white writing icing to make a cute little carrot decoration.

FLAVOUR: Where to even begin – each bite is a pure delight! Sweet vanilla, warming spices, zesty orange, buttery richness, pops of rich chocolate and nutty walnuts.
TEXTURE: You can expect crisp edges, with a soft and chewy middle. Plus, the walnuts and mini eggs add a lovely crunch.
SKILL: Easy-peasy! This is a one-bowl, prep and bake cookie recipe.
SERVES: You’ll easily get 10-12 slices from this giant carrot cake cookie tart – perfect for sharing!

a single slice of Giant Carrot Cake Cookie

Prep & Bake the Giant Carrot Cake Cookie

This giant carrot cake cookie is ridiculously easy to make. Just whip the cookie dough together, press it into the tin, bake, and let the oven do the rest. It’s chewy, golden, and lightly spiced, with all the best bits of a classic carrot cake in cookie form. Here’s how to make it:

Prep the carrot cake mix-ins: Grate the carrot and squeeze out the water, chop the walnuts, and zest the orange – then set everything aside so it’s ready to fold in.
Make the cookie dough: Melt the butter, and mix in the sugars, egg and vanilla. Stir the flour, spices and salt together, then fold into the wet ingredients to make the cookie dough. It should be thick and a little sticky. Fold in the grated carrot, walnuts, and orange zest.
Press into the tart tin: Lightly butter a line the base a 9-inch tart tin (a loose-based one works best), then press the cookie dough evenly into the base.
Chill: Pop the tin into the fridge for 30 minutes. This develops the flavours and improves the texture of the cookie cake. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180°C fan.
Bake: Bake for 20 minutes. It should look golden, have puffed up, and jiggle a little in the middle. Now it’s time to add the carrot decorations!

Add the Cute Chocolate Carrot Decorations

As soon as your cookie cake comes out of the oven and is still warm, press six mini chocolate orange eggs (I used Terry’s) gently into the top. Space them out evenly, leaving a border around the edge for the frosting swirls later. The warmth helps them nestle in without rolling off!

Once the cookie has cooled completely, it’s time to add the carrot ‘leaves’. Grab some green mini Smarties or mini M&M’s and some white writing icing. Pipe a small dot of icing just above each chocolate egg, then stick three chocolate beans on their side to look like the carrot tops. And that’s it – the cutest decoration for your giant carrot cake cookie!

Finish with Cream Cheese Frosting Swirls

No carrot cake recipe is complete without cream cheese frosting – and this giant cookie cake is no exception! Once your cookie is completely cool and your chocolate carrots are in place, pipe beautiful swirls of cream cheese frosting (I used a closed-star piping nozzle) around the edge. It adds that classic tangy sweetness and makes the whole thing look extra special. Follow my top 3 tips for thick, pipeable cream cheese frosting:

Use cold cream cheese – Take the cream cheese out of the fridge just before adding it to the bowl. Starting cold helps it stay sturdy and gives your frosting the best chance of holding its shape.
Use full-fat cream cheese – My go-to is Philadelphia Original. Avoid ‘light’ versions – they contain more water, which can leave you with thin, runny frosting that’s no good for piping.
Use an electric mixer – I don’t know the science behind it, but it always makes a difference! Whenever I’ve tried mixing by hand with a spatula, the frosting has turned thin and soupy. A mixer whips it up quickly, giving it a lovely thick and fluffy texture.

Recipe F&Q’s

Can I make a carrot cake cookie without a tart tin?

Yes! If you don’t have a loose-based tart tin, you can use a regular 9-inch cake tin or even a springform tin. Just make sure to grease and line the base well so the cookie cake is easy to lift out once cooled.

How do I stop my carrot cake cookie from going soggy?

The key is squeezing out the excess water from your grated carrot before adding it to the dough. This stops the cookie cake from becoming too wet or soggy as it bakes.

Can I freeze the cookie cake?

Absolutely. Once baked and completely cooled, wrap it in clingfilm and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature, then decorate before serving.

Why is my cream cheese frosting runny?

This usually happens when using low-fat cream cheese or overmixing. For a thick, pipeable frosting, always use full-fat cream cheese straight from the fridge and whisk just until combined.

How long does a giant carrot cake cookie last?

It’ll keep for up to 1 day at room temperature, or up to 5 days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container to keep it soft and fresh.

Carrot Cake Cookie Tart

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Prep: 45

Cook: 20

Total: 1 5

Servings:

Equipment

9-inch loose-based tart tin

Ingredients

For the giant carrot cake cookie:

120 grams Unsalted butter
75 grams White caster sugar
120 grams Light brown sugar
2 medium Eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
220 grams Self-raising flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Mixed Spice
½ teaspoon Salt
75 grams Carrot
1 medium Orange
50 grams Walnuts

For the chocolate egg carrot decoration:

50 grams Mini chocolate orange eggs (I used Terry's) you'll need 6 in total
1 tube White writing icing
20 grams Mini green Smarties or M&M's you'll need 18 in total

For the cream cheese frosting:

100 grams Unsalted butter room temperature
200 grams Icing sugar sifted
100 grams Full-fat cream cheese keep cold in the fridge

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

For the giant carrot cake cookie:

Lightly grease and line the base of a 9-inch tart tin.
Start by prepping the carrot cake mix ins. First grate the carrot, then bunch it up in a few layered sheets of kitchen roll and squeeze out the excess water. After the water is squeezed out, the grated carrot should weigh ~50g. Now finely chop the walnuts and zest the orange.
75 grams Carrot, 50 grams Walnuts, 1 medium Orange
Measure the butter into a bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until melted. Mix in both sugars. Mix in one whole egg, one egg yolk only, and the vanilla.
120 grams Unsalted butter, 75 grams White caster sugar, 120 grams Light brown sugar, 2 medium Eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Whisk the flour, spices and salt in a separate bowl until combined. Then add to the wet mixture and fold to make a cookie dough.
220 grams Self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Mixed Spice, ½ teaspoon Salt
Fold in the grated carrot, orange zest and chopped walnuts.
Press the mixture out into the tart tin. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes whilst you preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional.
Bake for 20 minutes until the cookie cake is risen and is golden, but still jiggly in the middle. Immediately press six mini chocolate orange eggs into the top of the cookie cake for the little carrots, then leave to cool completely in the tin.
Remove from tin and transfer to a plate. To add the carrot ‘leaves’, pipe a small dot of icing just above each chocolate egg, then stick three green mini Smarties on their side.

For the cream cheese frosting:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
100 grams Unsalted butter, 200 grams Icing sugar
Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and add it to the bowl. Mix until the frosting is smooth, thick and combined. Take care not to over-mix, as the frosting can quickly become soupy. Spoon the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
100 grams Full-fat cream cheese
Pipe swirls of frosting around the edge of the cookie cake.
Serve and enjoy! Your carrot cake cookie tart will last at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the fridge for up to 5 days.