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Paleo Carrot Cake Cookies

These paleo carrot cake cookies let you enjoy all the classic flavors of the cake minus the grains, dairy and sugar in one healthy bite! You even get that cream cheese frosting flavor too.

I feel like we all have that one food we absolutely can’t pass up if it’s in front of us on the table or on the menu at a restaurant. For Ulysses, it’s apple pie or crisp. For my brother, lobster ravioli (weird, I know). Oddly, I have no idea what my parents’ would be but I can tell you mine without hesitation: carrot cake. Actually, I have two because on the savory side it’s duck confit. If both are on the menu, it’s like I won the lottery.

Paleo Carrot Cake Cookies

When it comes to carrot cake, I’m a true fan too. Not one of those “eat all the frosting and leave the cake” kind of people. It’s the whole package of cake + frosting that gets me and it has to be the perfect ratio of each as well.

Too skimpy on the frosting = no good. Too much frosting = unwanted sugar high, also no good. On the cake side, I’m not a fan of those that overdo it on the spices. I don’t want everything you’d throw into a pumpkin pie in my carrot cake. Just some cinnamon will do because the carrots need to actually shine through. It’s called carrot cake for a reason.

Grain Free Carrot Cake Cookies

So with all that in mind, I set out to make a paleo version of my beloved dessert in cookie form. They turned out hearty with lots of carrot and coconut chew, slightly sweet and just a barely detectable note of cinnamon – perfect.

The cookie was the easy part though. The frosting was a bit more difficult. Replicating cream cheese without using actual cream cheese is a bit tricky! The lemon juice in the frosting is key, it helps break up the distinct coconut flavor you get from using coconut oil and coconut butter and blends nicely with the cashews (which turn all buttery in the food processor) for a pretty good replica of the real stuff.

Paleo Carrot Cake Cookie

The best part about paleo carrot cake cookies? They’re so darn healthy, they don’t have to just be dessert!

If you’re looking for other paleo cookies, check out these paleo lemon macaroons or these chocolate chunk paleo cookies, or even this quick paleo mug cake. Just want more carrot cake? These carrot cake cupcakes fit the bill!

I also shared this paleo carrot cake cookies recipe over on Food Fanatic, so be sure to check it out there!

Jenn

Sunday 11th of October 2020

My little boy requested chocolate chip cookies for his birthday breakfast, so I made these and replaced the shredded coconut with dark chocolate chips and left off the frosting. They were delicious and he was thrilled.

Janie

Sunday 14th of April 2019

These look delicious! Could you please add nutritional information?

Karen Kimball

Wednesday 3rd of October 2018

Hi thanks for sharing this recipe. I found my cookies were too moist. Maybe you could elaborate more on how to get the moisture out of the carrot. The taste was great, even unfrosted ????????

Running to the Kitchen

Monday 8th of October 2018

You really just need to squeeze the carrots of excess water the best you can in a kitchen towel or something similar.

Heather

Saturday 15th of July 2017

Was wondering if I could use flax or chia for the egg in this recipe and if you think it would work well

Running to the Kitchen

Saturday 15th of July 2017

I haven't tried it but those substitutions usually work pretty well.

Wendy Vandenberg

Saturday 27th of August 2016

I'm thinking of making these delicious looking cookies, but I have some questions. Does the icing stay soft, or will it harden? If not, they are probably a little hard to store, aren't they? Do you store them in the refrigerator?

Thank you.

Running to the Kitchen

Saturday 27th of August 2016

I wouldn't frost cookies until ready to serve. Keep the frosting made and stored separately in the fridge.