Made with real, shaved carrots, coconut, and a carrot cake mix, this carrot cake cookie recipe is soft, full of flavor, and perfect for Easter. The added addition of carrot cake M&Ms (or white chocolate chips) is a nice surprise as you sink your teeth into these delicious carrot cake cookies.
Is it just me, or has it seemed like there have been way more “seasonal” M&M flavors this year…and that it seems like it’s a battle between Walmart and Target to see who can get the newest flavor. I feel like for each new holiday, there’s at least one or two (maybe even more) new flavors.
And, of course, whenever I see these new flavors, I have to try them! We were at Walmart a few weeks ago, and Forrest spotted some carrot cake M&Ms (and guess what — you can get them on Amazon!) To be honest, I don’t think they really taste that much like carrot cake, but they were good nonetheless. I thought it would be really yummy to use them to make carrot cake cookies, using a carrot cake mix. However, Forrest requested that I make them more “cake-like”, as opposed to the chewy, like most cake mix cookies turn out.
I wasn’t totally sure how to do this, but as I set out researching, I discovered the secret to making cake mix cookies soft and cake-like is apparently crushed pineapple! If you don’t like pineapple, don’t fear — you can’t even taste it. I don’t know why, but these carrot cake cookies turned out perfectly. The addition of the M&Ms made them almost melt in your mouth (though if you can’t find the M&Ms, you could always just use white chocolate chips.)
These cookies have real carrots in them, along with a little bit of coconut. I wouldn’t skip on putting in the shaved carrots, but I do admit, you can taste the coconut a tiny bit…so if you don’t like that (though I don’t know why you wouldn’t like coconut), you can omit it.
I felt like these carrot cake mix cookies were super simple, and would be perfect for a delicious Easter treat! I keep wanting to go back to Walmart to get some more M&Ms and another cake mix so I can make these. Definitely a winner in my book.
Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 boxed carrot cake mix, I used Duncan Hines
- 6 mini carrots, shredded
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, with juice
- 3/4 bag carrot cake M&Ms, or 1/2 bag white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup coconut, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together all the ingredients until combined well. Batter will be somewhat runny.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, and then the remainder of the time a cooling rack.
Karin says
Yum! I was just thinking it was about time to try a new kind of cookie! I can’t wait to try this! I don’t see a cake mix listed in the recipe, but based on your post I’m guessing you add everything to a carrot cake mix?
Katie says
hahah…nice catch there! Yes, just a basic cake mix. 🙂 I’ll change that right now!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
I have never heard the pineapple trick! Learn something new everyday 😉
Katie says
Kind of a fun trick, right?! I was a little hesitant, but it didn’t make it taste like pineapple at all (which I wouldn’t have minded too much, but I know some people would!)