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Citrus Carrot Cookies Recipe

This Citrus Carrot Cookies recipe is slightly sweet, citrusy bright and a little bit like sunshine. These cookies are soft and tender. Carrot Cookies are perfect for dessert or a snack.

Front view of Citrus Carrot Cookies topped with glaze sit on parchment paper. Slices of oranges and a cooling rack of the cookies sit in the background.

Oh, heavens it’s hot here. Actual temperatures are in the high 90’s with the heat index well over 100 degrees. And, “it’s not a dry heat”. Sorry I couldn’t resist, that saying is kind of funny because hot is hot. The last thing that I wanted to do is turn on my oven, but I’ve been going through baking withdrawal. So, the other day I got up uber early and mixed up this Citrus Carrot Cookies recipe.

A Citrus Carrot Cookie cut in half and stacked together over a piece of parchment paper. A cooling rack of the glazed cookies sits in the background.

When I was trying to decide what to bake, I came across this recipe for carrot cookies in my family recipe box. I had everything that I needed and hey, carrots are healthy right? The recipe was very basic, and I really wanted to do a recipe makeover.

A cooling rack holding Citrus Carrot Cookies over a piece of parchment paper.

You guys, this cookie is just delicious. They taste fresh and crisp and a little bit like sunshine. This isn’t a big cookie, and it’s not overly sweet. The light citrus drizzle adds a welcome bright sweetness to this cookie.

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Citrus Carrot Cookies Recipe

Author: Hostess At Heart
This Citrus Carrot Cookies recipe is slightly sweet, citrusy bright and a little bit like sunshine. These cookies are perfect for dessert or a snack.
4.50 from 4 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword: Citrus Carrot Cookies, Citrus Cookies, Cookies
Servings: 30

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 tsp orange or lemon extract
  • zest of 1/2 orange or 1 lemon
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 cup ground hazelnuts I used dryroasted/unsalted

Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • zest and juice of 1/2 orange or lemon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a saucepan add carrots and cover with water. Cook until softened. Drain off the water and mash. Allow cookies to cool completely. I used a small food processor to mash them up and didn’t mind a few small chunks.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream sugar and butter together. Add 1 egg and 1 cup of cooled, mashed carrots.
  • In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
  • Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Add hazelnuts.
  • Using a 1-1/2 tablespoon scoop, drop cookies onto baking sheet.
  • Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges brown slightly. Remove cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Mix glaze ingredients together and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add more juice to thin or more sugar to thicken. Drizzle or dip cookies with glaze.
  • Store in a airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 28mgPotassium: 56mgSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1575IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 0.6mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
A side view of a Citrus Carrot cookies glazed in a citrus glaze sitting on white parchment paper.

I had some glaze leftover, so decided to dip a few. These turned out to be John, Mr. Sweet tooth’s favorite!

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A two photo for Pinterest. The top photo is of a cookie split in half showing bits of carrots over a piece of parchment paper. A cooking rack filled with glazed cookies sits in the back. The bottom photo shows 4 glazed citrus cookies in front of sliced oranges and a cooling rack filled with cookies in the background, A banner with the title \"Citrus Carrot Cookies\" runs through the center.
Recipe Rating




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Judi Graber

Tuesday 21st of June 2016

I know I won't be doing much cooking/baking inside as my air conditioning just quit! Good thing the weather turned cooler.The cookies look delicious especially dripping with the icing!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 21st of June 2016

Oh no Judi! That timing was horrible, like usual I guess. My sisters went out too and they were 10th on a waiting list to get an appointment. I'd recommend ice cream...lots of ice cream. Glad it's a bit cooler. It's been horrible here. Too hot and humid. I hope you get your air conditioner fixed/replaced before the next summer wave.

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