Carrot Cake Cake Mix Cookies

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You won’t believe how easy it is to make these soft, bakery-style carrot cake cake mix cookies topped off with heavenly cream cheese frosting and crunchy pecans. Perfectly chewy and easy to whip up, they’re an instant favorite any time of year.

A stack of carrot cake cake mix cookies with cream cheese frosting and pecans.

What you’ll love about this recipe:

Less measuring: Using boxed cake mix instead of individual dry ingredients means less prep time. You’ll only need one measuring cup!
Lusciously soft and chewy: Each bite has the perfect balance of carrot cake flavor and fluffy cream cheese frosting.
Perfect for all occasions: Whether it’s a casual afternoon snack, a holiday gathers (they’re perfect for Easter!), or even a bake sale, these fun and unexpected cookies are always a hit.

The Perfect Carrot Cake Cookies for Busy Foodies

At first, carrot cake may sound like an unexpected flavor for a cookie, but trust me when I say it’s the perfect dessert mashup.

They bring together the luscious characteristics of a slice of carrot cake — from the warm cinnamon and nutmeg to the sweet carrots to the tangy cream cheese frosting — in a refreshingly new, yet instantly familiar way.

They’re soft.

They’re chewy.

They’re HUGE (think Lofthouse or Crumbl style).

They have perfectly crisp edges and are topped with pillows of delicious cream cheese frosting.

They’ll have you looking like a professional baker.

And they’re ridiculously easy to make.

Starting with boxed carrot cake mix means there’s barely any need to measure, and definitely no need to grate your own carrots. I also made these cookies huge. Not only because they’re super fun and impressive that way, but because it means fewer trips to the oven to swap out cookie sheets. Yes, I really am that lazy.

Whether you share my love of traditional carrot cake or you’re just looking for something a little different than the usual chocolate chip or sugar cookie, these cake mix cookies are definitely worth a try!

Ingredients for carrot cake cake mix cookies.

Ingredients You’ll Need

A box of Carrot Cake Mix. I used Betty Crocker Delights cake mix in this recipe. If you can’t find that, you can also use Dunkin Hines mix, but the box is a little bigger so you’ll need to add an extra egg white. You can also swap the carrot cake mix for spice cake mix and 1 cup of grated raw carrots.

Vegetable Oil. This helps to keep the cookies moist and gives them a delicate crumb.

Melted Butter. For an extra rich and delicious flavor. I use unsalted butter.

Eggs. Room temperature eggs will mix into your batter easier than cold ones. Here’s a great guide to how to bing your eggs to room temp in a hurry!

Cream Cheese Frosting. I went with the canned stuff, but you could use homemade if you prefer that special touch. It only take a few minutes and you can whip it up while the cookies bake and cool.

Chopped Pecans. Pecans enhance the flavor of the carrot cake cookies and add a nice crunch. You could also use walnuts or toasted coconut.

Pro Tips

Uniform Cookies: Try to keep all cookies the same size for an even baking time. Using a cookie scoop can assist with this.
Rotate Your Baking Sheets: For the most even baking, rotate your baking sheets front to back and switch racks halfway through the baking process.
Baking Sheets: Use light colored, shiny baking sheets if possible. Dark pans absorb more heat and can cause your cookies to over-brown on the bottom.
Avoid Overbaking: The cookies might look slightly undercooked when you pull them out of the oven, but they’ll continue to cook as they cool. As long as the tops are fully set and don’t look jiggly, you’re goo to go.

Carrot cake cookie dough made from cake mix.

How to Make Them:

Stir the oil, melted butter, and eggs into the dry cake mix. Mix just enough to fully incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ones, being sure to fully scrape the sides of your bowl. You can mix these cookies by hand or use a stand mixer on low speed.

Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lines with parchment paper. A 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop or a coffee scoop is perfect for making those big, professional looking cookies!

Bake until they tops are set and the edges of the cookies start to turn golden brown.

Let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

Frost the cooled cookies. You can use an offset spatula or get fancy and pipe the frosting on with a piping bag.

Sprinkle with chopped nuts over the frosting. Press down on them very gently to help them stick.

Closeup of a carrot cake cookie with a bit taken out.

Frequently asked questions

How should I store these cookies?

These cookies store well in an airtight container for up to 1 week, but there’s so delicious that they probably won’t last long! Be sure to let the frosting set for about 30 minutes at room temperature before stacking the cookies. This will help it firm up, so they won’t get all smooshed.

Can I freeze these cookies for later?

Yes, but freeze them before they’re frosted. Let them thaw completely before frosting them for the best texture!

Can I make smaller cookies?

Of course, simply adjust the baking time accordingly because they’ll take less time. For a more standard, tablespoon-sized cookie, check them after 8 minutes.

Can I make my own cream cheese frosting?

Yup, this is a great way to add a more homemade touch to these cake mix cookies. Here’s a great homemade cream cheese frosting recipe.

Can I use a different type of oil?

Yes, any other neutral-flavored oil will work!

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