Carrot Cake Cookies

Here we go! My first posted recipe! I had a bunch of carrots left from other dinner recipes and didn't want them going bad so I looked up recipes to use them in. I came across this recipe and it's soooo good! Tastes just like a carrot cake would, but not dry or crumbly like some carrot cakes are.

Carrot Cake Cookies

For the Cookies
1/2 cup butter ( softened ) 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
1 egg 
1 1/2 cups flour 
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
dash ground cloves 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup carrots ( coarsely grated ) 
1/2 cup raisins ( optional ) 
1/2 cup walnuts ( optional ) 

Makes about 20 cookies

For the Frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

You'll notice the ziploc bag with some "black stuff" in it. I didn't have ground cloves, just whole ones, so out came the ziploc bag and the rolling pin *snicker*. Hey I only needed a dash of it!

I used my Kitchen Kutter from KitchenCraft. These are great products and I'll blog about them later.

Kind of goofed here, I didn't need to roll them into balls. Just scoop about a Tablespoon out.

Tadaa! I left them unfrosted as we don't have that much of a sweet tooth and basically I just didn't have any cream cheese!

Cookie Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl or in your Kitchenaid Mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and mix well.
Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, salt and combine well. Stir in carrots (and raisins and walnuts if you are using them). Place spoonfuls of dough on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a rack.

Frosting Directions
Cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Add more or less powdered sugar for how thick you like your frosting. Spread over cookies and add chopped walnuts on top too if you'd like.

Enjoy!

Tracy,
One finds limits by pushing them" ~ Herbert Simon