Hippty Hoppity Easters on its way!! Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies are the perfect sweet treat.
In my last post, I made a Lemon Meringue Pie into a thumbprint cookie. Today I made a Carrot Cake into a thumbprint cookie.
Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies are a Martha Stewart recipe that I saw a few years ago and Pinned for later……its later.
These were delicious! Moist, full of carrots, dried pineapple, and oats, rolled in pecans and baked to perfection. Filled with a colored cream cheese frosting they look like a carrot patch.
I remember the first time I looked at this recipe thinking these would be cute for Easter if you piped a carrot in the center. Guess what? They are adorable!!
I followed the original recipe pretty closely, except for the raisins. Raisins are one thing I do not like…..folks its rotten fruit! Raisins lurk in cookies pretending to be chocolate chips to the naked eye…then you take a bite, and your disappointment is grand!!! That’s all I have to say about that!
I chose to replace the raisins with dried pineapple. It was a great substitution. Add raisins if you like, but give the dried pineapple a try…you won’t be sorry. Also, switch up the type of nuts in the recipe if you wish. I used pecans, but walnuts would be delicious as well
Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies are easy to mix and bake.
Wanting to make the end result look like a carrot patch, I colored the frosting with orange (for the carrot) and green (for the leafy top). Use liquid gel colors, they create the best and most vibrant colors.
For the carrot, I used a large round tip and swirled it a bit to give the illusion of a carrot top. With a small leaf tip, I piped two leave on top of each carrot. Little light green sugar pearls left over from St Patty’s Day in the center are not necessary….but looks really cute.
If you are looking for other ideas for Easter check out these recipes;
Maple Dijon Dill Roasted Carrots make a perfect side dish for any occasion.
Not traditional? Asparagus Ham Lasagna is a great alternative to the traditional ham dinner.
For another dessert, idea try our Triple Layer Toasted Coconut Cake.
Whether your Easter includes brunch or a traditional sit-down dinner, a batch of Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies is perfect for a sweet treat!
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Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
For Cookies:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup oatmeal (not instant)
¾ cup packed fine-grated carrots
¼ cup dried pineapple, chopped
1 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
For Frosting:
1/2 cup room temperature butter
5 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 –2 Tablespoons of milk if needed to get the correct consistency
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugars, and egg yolk.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Add flour mixture into butter mixture and stir to combine.
Add oats, carrots, and dried pineapple and stir just until dough forms.
Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes.
Roll dough into 1½-inch balls; then roll balls in chopped pecans to coat. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press finger in the center of each cookie to form an indent.Bake 10-15 minutes.
Remove from oven; if necessary repress indent in the center of each cookie using the handle of a wooden spoon. Bake until set and lightly golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
In a medium bowl, using a hand held mixer beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla beating until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is incorporated. If necessary add milk a small amount at a time until mixture is desired consistency. * You may color the frosting before piping into cookies.
Pipe prepared frosting into cookies, decorating if you wish.
Notes
This frosting makes enough for a double batch of cookies.
