These Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies are the perfect little spring treat. Moist, spiced carrot cake cookies sandwiched together with tangy cream cheese frosting!
Spring has definitely sprung around here. We’re having 70 and 80 degree days, the orchards are all blooming and the local strawberry stands are officially open. Spring is a time we really have to savor here in the desert because it’s the only time of year that the plants and trees are green and pretty. Spring is fleeting here, and once it’s gone we have nearly 6 months of long, hot, dry summer, dead grass and barren trees.
So let’s celebrate spring!
Carrot cake is such a classic and fun spring flavor. I bet the Easter bunny would love if you left him some of these. And your relatives would probably thank you too if you made these as an Easter brunch treat.
These little Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies are so fun because they’re bite-sized, so they’re almost more like a cookie– think an oatmeal cream pie cookie. The cakes are tender, moist carrot cake spiced with the perfect amount of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Sandwich two of them together with some sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting for the perfect little whoopie pie.
These are perfect for dessert, or for a mid-morning treat with a cup of coffee. Who doesn’t love coffee and sweets? Now that it’s warming up it’s officially time for me to make the switch to iced coffee! And these were perfect with a glass. I mean… the recipe includes oatmeal and cream cheese, so it’s practically breakfast, right?
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup quick oats
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups finely grated carrots
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- FOR THE FILLING:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 6 tbsp butter, softened
- Pinch salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- In a bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until fluffy.
- Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low until mostly combined. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium and beat until combined.
- Fold in carrots and walnuts. Chill dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Drop 2-tbsp balls of dough onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake 12-13 minutes, until centers are set. Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, to make the filling, beat together cream cheese, butter, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag (or Ziplock bag with the corner cut off).
- Once the carrot cake has cooled, pipe frosting onto one, then sandwich a second on top.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What a great idea for whoopie pies! I miss iced coffee too, I bet it tastes great with the carrot cake 🙂
You keep me in recipe happiness!
Great minds think alike! I just made some carrot cake sandwich cookies last weekend! I’m loving this version, especially all the carrots and walnuts. Hope you have a great weekend, Jess!
So yummy!! Carrot cake and cream cheese frosting is just the best!! 🙂
I LOVE iced coffee in the summer! It would be perfect with a plate of these cookies!
I love sweets with my coffee, and these cookies look like the best kind of treat!
Believe it or not I still am not a coffee drinker despite the total lack of sleep that I get keeping up with Baby Stella….but I am an avid sugar lover and this carrot cake whoopie pies look divine Jess! LOVE! Pinned!
Haha!! I would die without coffee!! Or… I’d at least have to eat a LOT more sugar. 😉 LOL!
I love iced coffee Jess – so this is right up my alley. And, I have to tell you – those cookies look amazing. I have always wanted to make whoopie pies and this makes the desire 10x more intense! Pinned!
Yep, definitely couldn’t live without my iced coffee!! <3 These are seriously some of my fave whoopie pies ever, you should try them!!
These carrot cake whoopie pies look awesome, Jess! Such a great idea! They would go perfectly with iced coffee!
Love carrot cake and these whoopie pies look amazing! Perfect with a cup of coffee!
Oh, these look AMAZING! I love carrot cake but layer cakes aren’t exactly my strong suit (mine always are lopsided or uneven!) so these are much more my style. I just showed my husband this post + he wants me to make some this weekend! I may have to do it. =)
Do it!! I totally agree on the layers… they’re hard! Plus, frosting cakes is hard too. I always spread crumbs around everywhere!
I haven’t seen this from Folgers before! It looks so good and such a great way to make iced coffee quickly. I’m definitely looking for this the next time I go grocery shopping! And these whoopie pies look amazing, Jess! Such a great treat to go along with some coffee. Yum!
I’m intrigued by the coffee dropper thingy. I’m not a coffee drinker buy I love a good Frappuccino. I’d like to make them at home to save a few bucks, but I don’t even know how to make coffee. (Should I be embarrassed by that?) This might be the perfect at home frappe solution!
LOL! You could definitely be creative and whip up something frappe-like with these! The vanilla one tastes like a melted milkshake!
Oh yummy. I’m going to bake a batch to bring to my mom’s for Easter.
I think I’m going to make them again for Easter, too! They were a huge hit with everyone I shared them with!
Well, I’m definitely craving a big plateful of these gorgeous whoopie pies to go with my coffee now! They look perfect, Jess! Love the filling. 🙂
Carrot cake is my favourite cake of all time! These whoopie pies look so fun and delicious!