The Ultimate Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting: Your Go-To Recipe
Years ago, a recipe for “Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies” published by Epicurious captured the hearts of many bakers. This innovative twist on classic carrot cake features two delightfully spiced, carrot-flavored cookies embracing a luscious, creamy cream cheese icing. It’s a brilliant concept that combines the best elements of a beloved cake into a convenient, handheld cookie form, offering all the familiar flavors and textures without the need for a fork.
While many reviewers raved about the deliciousness and expressed their intent to make these cookies again, a recurring concern surfaced: the cookies tended to spread excessively for some bakers. This led to numerous recommendations for adding more flour to the dough. As a passionate baker, and finding myself in a distinct carrot cake mood, I was compelled to investigate this phenomenon and perfect the recipe for myself, ensuring that every batch would be as ideal as possible.
Crafting the Perfect Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies: Essential Notes and Tips
My culinary experiment with the Epicurious recipe revealed a delightful truth: the recipe was, for the most part, perfect as written. My primary modification involved swapping the original honey cream cheese filling for a more traditional, rich, and tangy cream cheese frosting. This simple change elevated the classic flavor profile, creating a more familiar and universally loved sandwich cookie experience. Crucially, I made no significant alterations to the cookie dough itself, and the results were consistently beautiful, flavorful, and perfectly structured cookies.
The widespread issue of cookies spreading, reported by many reviewers, intrigued me. After several trials, I came to believe that those who encountered spreading problems might have omitted a key ingredient: nuts. Nuts, particularly walnuts in this recipe, play a vital role not just in flavor and texture, but also in providing structure to the cookie dough. Their presence helps absorb moisture and gives the dough more body, preventing excessive spreading during baking. When I followed the recipe precisely, including the specified amount of walnuts, the cookies held their shape beautifully and baked to a soft, chewy perfection without any need for additional flour.
That being said, curiosity led me to test the dough with a slight increase in flour, just to see the impact. While the cookies were still delicious, they became noticeably rounder and a little less crumbly, losing a touch of that characteristic cake-like softness. This confirmed my initial hypothesis: the original recipe’s flour-to-fat ratio is ideal when all ingredients, including the nuts, are present. If you absolutely must omit the nuts, then a small increase in flour (as suggested in the recipe notes) would indeed be beneficial to maintain structure and prevent spreading. However, for the ultimate experience, I highly recommend including them!
These Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies have undeniably become one of our all-time favorite recipes. Their delightful combination of warm spices, moist carrot-infused dough, and rich cream cheese filling creates an irresistible treat that’s perfect for any occasion. Many have noted their striking similarity to the popular Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies found at Trader Joe’s. If you’re a fan of the Trader Joe’s version, you’ll be thrilled to discover how easily you can replicate and even surpass that deliciousness right in your own kitchen.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
There are countless reasons why these carrot cake sandwich cookies stand out. They offer the comforting, nostalgic flavors of a classic carrot cake in a delightful, portable form. Each bite delivers a perfect harmony of textures – the soft, tender cookie giving way to the smooth, luscious cream cheese frosting. The warm spices like cinnamon, combined with the sweetness of carrots and raisins, and the nutty crunch of walnuts, create a complex yet utterly satisfying flavor profile. They are incredibly versatile, ideal for a casual afternoon snack, a sophisticated dessert for a dinner party, or a charming addition to any holiday spread. Making them at home also gives you complete control over the quality of ingredients and allows you to customize them to your exact preferences, ensuring a truly personal and delicious experience.
Expert Tips for Baking Success
Achieving the perfect Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies is straightforward with a few key tips:
- **Ingredient Temperature:** Ensure your butter and cream cheese are truly softened for both the cookies and the frosting. This allows for proper creaming and a smooth, lump-free mixture.
- **Accurate Flour Measurement:** If not using a kitchen scale, make sure to spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge. Packing flour can lead to dense, dry cookies.
- **Don’t Overmix:** Once the flour mixture is added, mix just until combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten, resulting in tougher cookies.
- **Toasted Walnuts:** Toasting the walnuts before adding them to the dough significantly enhances their flavor and aroma, adding another layer of depth to your cookies. Simply spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant.
- **Parchment Paper is Your Friend:** Always line your baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking, promotes even baking, and makes for easy cleanup.
- **Cool Completely:** It’s crucial that your cookies are completely cool before you attempt to frost and sandwich them. Warm cookies will melt the cream cheese frosting, leading to a messy and unsatisfying result.
Creative Variations and Customizations
While the classic recipe is fantastic, feel free to get creative and tailor these cookies to your taste:
- **Nut Alternatives:** If walnuts aren’t your favorite, try toasted pecans for a similar textural and flavor complement.
- **Add-ins:** Incorporate shredded coconut, dried cranberries, or even a hint of candied ginger for extra texture and flavor bursts.
- **Spice Adjustments:** Experiment with additional warm spices like a pinch of nutmeg, allspice, or ground ginger to deepen the carrot cake essence.
- **Citrus Zest:** A little orange or lemon zest in the cream cheese frosting can add a bright, refreshing counterpoint to the richness.
- **Gluten-Free Option:** For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a good quality gluten-free all-purpose baking blend, ensuring it contains xanthan gum. You might need slight adjustments to liquid or flour quantity depending on the blend.
Storage Suggestions
To keep your Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies fresh and delicious:
- **Unfrosted Cookies:** Store unfrosted cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- **Frosted Cookies:** Due to the cream cheese frosting, frosted cookies must be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to a week. For best flavor and texture, let them come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
- **Freezing:** Both unfrosted cookies and frosting can be frozen separately. Wrap unfrosted cookies tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. The cream cheese frosting can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator and re-whip before using.
- Inside Out Brownie Cookies
- Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Scones
- Chocolate Carrot Brownies
- Best Carrot Cupcakes
- Carrot Walnut Muffins
Recipe
Inside Out Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
Anna
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour (5 ounces/140 grams**)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (90 grams)
- 1 large egg (48 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup coarsely grated carrots 2 medium – 110 grams
- 1 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
- ⅓ cup raisins
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 1 ⅓ heaping cups powdered sugar plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a bowl.
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Beat butter until creamy. Add both sugars, egg, and vanilla and beat just until mixed. Add the flour mixture and stir until fully blended.
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Mix in carrots, nuts and raisins.
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Drop 24 to 26 mounds of dough onto parchment lined baking sheets spacing at least 2 ½ inches apart.
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Bake 1 sheet at a time on center rack for 12 -14 minutes or until edges are browned and centers appear set. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 4 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack.
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Prepare Filling. Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese, then gradually add powdered sugar, beating and scraping bowl often. Beat in the vanilla.
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Sandwich the icing between two cooled cookies.
Notes
**Toasting Walnuts:** To enhance the nutty flavor, spread walnuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Let them cool before chopping and adding to the dough.
**Honey Cream Cheese Filling (Original Version):** If you prefer the original honey cream cheese filling, simply combine 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and ¼ cup of honey in a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy.