Soft and chewy chai spiced brown butter carrot oatmeal cookies are sandwiched together with delicious slightly tangy brown butter vanilla cream cheese filling to create the perfect dessert. They are soft, full of flavor, and so delicious and are totally addictive. They are generously spiced with chia spices for some serious cozy warming flavours. Although wonderfully delicious on their own, these cookies are even better when sandwiched together with the brown butter and cream cheese frosting. They are quite easy to make but require a bit of planning if you are browning the butter – but they are worth every bit of effort. This recipe comes from the very talented baker Megan Neveu of Olives & Thyme blog from her Beautiful Book Sugar + Spice Cookies. Her tried and true recipes which I have loved since she started her blog are always perfect and delicious and now she has created the most fabulous book with creative cookie recipes for home baking.
More About Sugar + Spice Cookies Book
Im a huge fan of Megan, her recipes and her blog so I was thrilled for her when I found out she was working on a cookbook – I knew from her blog that it would be a sure hit and now that I have a copy in my hands I can confrim it is a sure hit. Megan knows her baked goods (she calls herself a home baker but I would say beyond an experienced baker – even pro) I love her flavour combinations and that really is what her book is all about. She is so creative when developing recipes and pairing spices with fruit and chocolate and even fresh and dried herbs with her baked goods. You will find recipes that take spice and herbs such as cinnamon and ginger or lavender and rosemary and pair them with classic cookie bases like sugar and chocolate chip. Her recipes are well organized, written, and easy to execute, which is not surprising if you follow her blog. And her book is categorized in chapters by flavour or ingredient which I thought was a clever and pleasant way to have it organized and a really easy way to find recipes. Her tips are invaluable when it comes to measuring ingredients, preparing recipes and tools to use in the kitchen when baking. This book is a source of inspiration and a source of joy for novice bakers and experienced ones alike! Im so grateful to Megan for sending me a copy of her book and allowing me to share one of her many fabulous recipes with you guys. Please be sure to grab your own copy of her book here you will love it!
Carrot Cake Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- Flour: These cream pies keep it simple with all-purpose flour.
- Dry Ingredients: Salt, & baking soda for flavor and leavening
- Chai Spices: ground cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg
- Butter: Unsalted butter that has been browned. You can skip browning it and just use it room temperature and softened for the cookies and the frosting
- Sugar: A mixture of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar keeps these cookies ultra moist and sweet.
- Pure Vanilla: Just for a little flavor.
- Eggs: Bind the cookie dough together. you will need 1 egg + 1 yolk at room temperature
- Oats: I suggest using old-fashioned rolled oats to make these oatmeal cookies.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Made from a mixture of cream cheese, brown butter and powdered sugar gives these sandwich cookies a gooey, creamy filling.
- Carrots: shredded fine with a box grater using the small holes
- Extra Add Ins: Feel free to add some chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts to the batter or even raisins if you prefer
How To Make Carrot Cake Cookies
- BROWN THE BUTTER then allow it to cool or chill until it reaches softened texture – this is optional if you want to skip th brown butter you can just use softened room temperature butter for both the cookies and the frosting
- WHISK dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and all the ground spices; set aside.
- CREAM wet ingredients: With an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar on high until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes), scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- MIX in the Vanilla + Eggs: Add the vanilla; beat until combined. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Make the DOUGH: Reduce the speed to low, add flour mixture and beat until just combined. With rubber spatula, stir in the oats. CHILL dough
- PREHEAT OVEN & PREPARE PANS: Set the oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats set aside.
- BAKE the Cookies: scoop the dough roll into balls and place onto prepared pan and bake 10-12 minutes until the cookies are set at the edges and slightly soft in the middle.
- COOL the Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Make the FILLING: With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until light and fluffy
- ASSEMBLE the Cream Pies: Spread the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich the remaining cookies.
Tips
- The cookies will be very soft when you take them out of the oven. That’s okay, that’s how they’re supposed to be, and that’s what makes them super-soft and chewy to eat even days later. It also makes it easy to shape them with a flat spatula when they come out of the oven to get them into more uniform shape.
- It is very important to allow the cookies to cool completely. If they are too warm the frosting will melt and you will be left with a melted cream cheese mess.
- I’m all about the filling and frostings! I use about 1-2 tablespoons of frosting per sandwich to get the maximum frosting to cookie ratio but that is up to your taste
- Make the brown butter the day before or 2 to 3 hours before you plan to make the cookies or even a day ahead and then just take it out of the fridge and allow it to soften.
Make Ahead, Storage & Freezing
- STORAGE: These soft oatmeal cream pies last about 5 days in the refrigerator, if you don’t eat them all first. Store cookies in an airtight container with wax paper or parchment paper between the layers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- FREEZING: You can freeze these cream pies by tightly wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months
- MAKE AHEAD: The frosting can be made ahead of time and transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature and re-whip with an electric mixer before using. The cookies can be made ahead up to 2-3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature as they are unfrosted – make frosting when ready to assemble and enjoy. The brown butter can be made ahead up to 1-2 days in advance, divide amounts, allow to come to room temperature then wrap tightly and chill until ready to make cookies – remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature or to soften before creaming.
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