🥕 Spiced Carrot Oatmeal Cookies offer all the flavors of richly spiced carrot cake in cookie form! Soft, chewy, extremely moist, and not at all cakey, these cookies are loaded with oats, spices, grated carrots, and butterscotch chips. Easy to make, they’re perfect for Easter and spring!
Soft and Chewy Carrot Oatmeal Cookies
These carrot oatmeal cookies are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made, and I make a new cookie recipe nearly every week. Inspired by my carrot cake muffins, salted caramel carrot cake, and carrot cake loaf, these cookies are a carrot cake lover’s dream.
- Soft and Chewy (Not Cakey): These carrot oatmeal cookies bake up perfectly soft and chewy with tender centers and slightly crisp edges. They stay moist without turning cakey, which is exactly how a great cookie should be.
- Loaded with Texture: Each bite is packed with shredded carrots, hearty oats, juicy raisins, and sweet butterscotch chips. The combination creates thick, bakery-style cookies with plenty of chew and satisfying texture.
- Warm Carrot Cake Flavor: A comforting blend of spices gives these cookies that classic carrot cake flavor. The spices are noticeable but balanced, adding warmth without overpowering the sweetness.
- Soft for Days: These cookies stay soft and moist for days thanks to the brown sugar in the dough. In fact, they’re even better on the second and third day as the flavors deepen and the texture becomes even more tender.
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
To make this easy carrot cake oat cookies recipe, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Spices: Cinnamon, allspice, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt
- All-purpose flour
- Rolled oats: Rolled oats (aka old-fashioned oats) are a must. Instant oats (quick oats) are too powdery and would result in dry cookies
- Baking soda
- Grated carrots: I prefer to grate the carrots by hand with a box grater using the coarsest blade. It’s three-quarters of a cup, about two medium carrots, and takes one minute
- Mix-ins: I include butterscotch chips and raisins. If you don’t like raisins or butterscotch and prefer nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds, and white chocolate, or nothing at all other than just carrots, suit yourself. You can keep these carrot cake oat cookies classic or load them up with mix-ins
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Carrot Oatmeal Cookies
- Whisk the wet ingredients on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the spices and dry ingredients.
- Scoop the cookie dough into mounds and place on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. I highly recommend using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop to form mounds and place them on a large plate.
- Chill for at least 3 hours to help solidify the batter.
- Bake on a prepared cookie sheet until the edges are set, the centers are just set, and the cookies are lightly golden brown. I strongly recommend baking the cookies at the lower end of the range. The carrot cookies firm up considerably as they cool, so don’t be afraid to pull them even if the tops look glossy and underdone. Overbaking will turn these softies into rocks, with overly browned bottoms.
Can I Frost Carrot Cake Cookies?
I don’t see why not! I’m not sure how much cream cheese frosting you’d need to make, but I bet the frosting I used on these Carrot Cake Cupcakes would work well here.
Carrot Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, (NOT instant or quick cook)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ heaping cup grated carrots, loosely packed
- ½ to ⅔ cup butterscotch chips, or white chocolate chips (optional)
- ½ cup raisins or nuts, (optional)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl with hand mixer), combine the egg, butter, sugars, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, optional salt, and beat momentarily to incorporate.
- Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and beat until just combined, less than 1 minute.
- Add the carrots and beat to incorporate, about 30 seconds.
- Add the optional butterscotch chips, raisins, and beat to incorporate, about 30 seconds.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) or your hands, scoop out mounds of dough (I made 22) and place them on a large plate. Flatten mounds just slightly with heel of your hand.
- Cover plate with plasticwrap and refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days, before baking. Dough is far too soft and moist, and is unsuitable for baking until it’s been chilled or cookies will spread dramatically.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats, parchment, or spray with cooking spray; set aside. Space dough 2 inches apart (8 per tray) and bake for 9 to 11 minutes (I recommend the lower end of that range), or until tops have just set, even if slightly underbaked and glossy in the center. Cookies firm up as they cool, and baking too long results in cookies that set up too crisp and hard with overdone undersides (The cookies shown in the photos were baked for just over 9 minutes, with trays rotated at the 5-minute mark, and have chewy edges with pillowy, soft centers).
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- As written, cookies are pleasantly spiced and robust, without being over-spiced, but dial down the amounts as written and adjust to taste if you’re particularly sensitive.
- Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Spring Cookie Recipes:
Soft & Chewy Lemon Cookies — The cookies pack a powerful lemon punch, they’re soft and dense rather than cakey, and they’re thick enough to sink your teeth into.
Frosted Springtime Sugar Cookie Bars — The bars are buttery soft in the middle with a bit of chewiness around the edges and have nice texture from the baked-in sprinkles. Cream cheese frosting and more sprinkles are the finishing touches.
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies — These super soft, very lemony cookies are topped with a lemon glaze that adds to the pucker-up power!
Strawberry Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting — The bars are incredibly easy to make because I used strawberry cake mix, and it gives the bars exactly the consistency I want. Soft, chewy, and ironically not cakey.
Frosted Soft Sugar Cookies — Super SOFT sugar cookies that just melt in your mouth! To make things even better, they’re topped with the BEST sugar cookie frosting!
The Best M&M’s Cookies — These bakery-style M&M’s cookies are soft, chewy, buttery, and LOADED with M&M’s and chocolate chips. No one can resist these cookies!
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies — These EASY white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies are the perfect combination of sweet, nutty, soft and chewy perfection!
Orange Creamsicle Cookies — These cookies are so soft, buttery, tender, and just melt in your mouth! The dough is lightly perfumed with orange zest and there’s loads of white chocolate in every bite. They remind me of an Orange Creamsicle, but in cookie form!
Originally published April 29, 2013 and republished March 27, 2020 with updated text.
Wow! I’ve never had a carrot cake cookie! I would’ve expected more cakiness but somehow you’ve made it into one of the most delicious looking COOKIES I’ve ever seen! This is so different I’m just gonna have to try it … I love going crazy with spices, hmmm yum, they are my favorite:) And with all this ingredients I bet there is a lot of texture. I wish my recent muffin disaster had turned out so well! Just curious – could this recipe still be made into muffins if I didn’t over fill them? Either way – awesome job! The concept and pictures have me hook, line, and sinker!
No – this is a totally DIFFERENT recipe than the one I used for the muffins. This is cookie dough. That was muffin batter. Apples and oranges. For you and anyone else reading this, don’t try to make muffins using cookie dough. Won’t work :)
Okay! Good to know! I have enough kitchen disasters waiting for me already;) Thanks!
I loved that you turned a kitchen fail into these awesome cookies!! Plus, I love that they are actually kind of healthy! Score!
Oh yeah, cookies trump muffins every time. These look wonderful!
I do not like carrot cake. I do, however, really like these cookies. Sometimes a “failure” is a good thing even though it can be so darn frustrating!! I am so in love with butterscotch chips, I think it was a fantastic idea to include them in these cookies!
A carrot cake cookie?!? Wow…this is fabulous! I love carrot cake and I also love cookies, so this is the most perfect combo!
Mmm! I am a sucker for anything termed “carrot cake.” I wonder if I could sub part of the butter for greek yogurt? I’m sure I’d get an even softer cookie, probably more cake-like… hmm…
I think it would take it into cake-like territory, i.e. the dreaded cakey territory – which is not my preference but go for it! I only like my cake to be cakey :) Not cookies or brownies!
I love carrot cake dearly, so seeing it in cookie form makes my morning bright and happy! Def adding this to my recipes to try – thanks.
LMK if you do try them!
Yay for turning a muffin disaster into something amazingly delicious! I love carrot cake flavors however I can get em and these cookies sound pretty perfect.
Yum, these cookies look amazing!!! I prefer cookies over muffins too and love that you were able to save these by creating these delicious looking cookies. Love carrot cake so can’t wait to try these :)
Yum! Carrot cake is my fave… I love seeing it in the cookie form!
I’m loving your spicy baked chips, btw! :)
Oh man, I love this recipe for so many reasons! I love carrot cake but I love cookies more than I love cake… So, these are perfect. :) And I love the simple ingredient list too! I always have these things on hand, which is good and bad – I could whip them up at any time, but I also might eat more of them than I should. :-D
Girl they are highly addictive and I had to hide them from myself! I loved them so much and if you’re a carrot cake fan (and with all the ingredients on hand no less!) you will love them I bet! LMK if you end up trying them :)
There’s nothing better than when a recipe fails but turns into something else delicious! These look so great, and right up my alley! My best friend’s birthday is coming up, and her favorite dessert is carrot cake. I usually make a cake or cupcakes or her, but I like the idea of cookies to change it up! Going to make for her – pinned!
Thanks for the pin and I bet your friend will LOVE these if she’s already a carrot cake fan. I think I like them better than actual carrot cake!
I’ve never had a carrot cake cookie but I love this recipe–lots of texture and spices! I could easily give them a smear of cream cheese frosting or make a sandwich out of them. The butterscotch chips really do it for me–what a great idea! My homemade mayo was successful, easy and has been a great base for other sauces and dressings. I used 1 whole egg and 3/4 cup oil (half batch). I whirled the egg in the vita (on a speed of around 2-3) then set a styrofoam cup (with a hole poked in the bottom) on the lid and poured the oil into the cup so it would drip in slowly.
Your mayo sounds wonderful. I may have to give it a go one day.
And this carrot cake cookie is so good- it’s just packed with texture and chewiness and so much good stuff. I loved these things! I had to try to hide them from myself :)
I love how you turned a kitchen fail into these awesome cookies. Cookies are more fun to eat anyway :)
So fun meeting you this weekend, Averie! I just wished we were able to spend more time together!
Carrots!! Great save. I can’t stand when recipes go bad. I usually perk up when I can turn them around though. I have been thinking about carrot cake and butterscotch chips! But not together. Now I am! :D haha
Girl I was SO TICKED about the muffins. Like I had this feeling I was overfilling them but was pretty sure I’d be okay. Then 2 mins into baking they were starting to explode up in height and I knew I was doomed. Sigh. But honestly, the cookies are way better than the muffins were and butterscotch complements the carrots and the spices. It’s just so good in here!
Carrot cake is a favorite for me! I actually recently made carrot cake waffles, and was thinking of doing a carrot cake themed week on my blog, this recipe is going on my to try list!
I love the idea of a carrot cake themed week! Mmmm, I’d love to recipe test for that one :) And your waffles sound delish!