My entire family loves carrot cake. I find myself making one for every family gathering… and then everyone fights over it! In in effort to change things up a bit I started making Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies. These little hand held desserts make a great addition to your next family gathering.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Makes 1 -1 ½ dozen sandwiches

Cookies:
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup White Sugar
2 sticks Butter
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 ½ cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
2 cups Rolled Oats
1 ½ cups Carrots, grated
1 cup Raisins (or dried cranberries)
Filling:
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
½ stick Butter, softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla
Lemon Juice

Cream together sugars and butter with an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer). Mix until well blended- but be careful not to over mix or the butter will become too warm. Add eggs and vanilla and blend. Then add baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.

Stir in oats, carrots and raisins by hand. Place dough in ping-pong ball sized drops on greased pan, 1 inch apart.

Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes. Do not allow the tops to get golden brown. After one minute out of the oven place cookies on wood board, or cookie grate to cool.
In the meantime whip cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon juice. Blend well.
When cookies are cool, fill with icing and make sandwiches. These cookies should be refrigerated if not eaten right away.

And remember to check out my cookbook for more easy recipes. Visit Barnes and Noble.com

Also, check out the clip of this recipe on Clevelands Channel 3!

I am a huge fans of oatmeal raisin cookies. I make them every so often, but this time around I decided to branch out… try something new! Instead of sticking with the ever faithful california raisins, I raided the pantry to find some new little treats…

I loved the cranberries, apples and golden raisins in these cookies! My little cousin didn’t want to eat these cookies because he doesn’t like raisins. So, I told them to just pick them out. He picked out all of the cranberries and ate the golden raisins! Such sneaky little raisins!

Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
3 cups Flour
2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Golden Raisins
1/4 cup Diced Dried Apples
1/4 cup Diced Dried Cranberries

Whip together (with electric mixer) softened butter, brown sugar and eggs until fluffy. Mix in baking powder, soda, salt and vanilla, then flour. With rubber spatula stir in rolled oats, raisins, apples and cranberries. Spoon scoops about the size of a ping pong ball onto an ungreased sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for about a minute, then place onto cooling rack.

Ah! Warm Cookies and milk just can’t be beat!

~SD