Making these easy chewy Carrot Cake Cookies with a boxed cake mix is a simple Easter recipe that is ultra-soft, with a chewy texture, and smothered with a delicious cream cheese frosting, topped with chopped walnuts.
Can we even celebrate this time of year without a carrot cake recipe? You can find the traditional flavor in this carrot cake roll, but we’ve also simplified things into this easy cake mix recipe. It’s fun, festive, and while it tastes similar to the classic cake, it’ was so much better’s bite-size and so easy to serve! Some of my other favorite spring desserts are my Easter trifle and Easter poke cake, along with the beautiful strawberry cheesecake trifle.
While I love from scratch recipes, cake mix is so much easier sometimes. I use cake mixes to make some of my favorite cakes: lemon bundt cake, upside down pineapple cake, and lemon pie bars. There’s also blueberry dump cake and cake mix donuts to please a crowd.
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🍪 Ingredients:
- Box of carrot cake mix – choose your favorite brand from the grocery store.
- Walnuts – this is the nutty crunch on top of the cookie. You can mix some in as well.
- Oil – we used vegetable oil but you can choose canola oil too.
- Eggs – this is our binder and helps the spice cake mix stay together.
- Sour cream – makes the cookies soft and moist.
- Unsalted butter and cream cheese – allow both of these ingredients to soften at room temperature before using to make the frosting.
- Powdered sugar – gives the frosting sweetness and adds texture.
- Vanilla extract – rounds out the taste and adds a subtle hint of vanilla.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- To make these Carrot Cake mix cookies into Cookie bars – press the cookie dough into a square baking dish that has been greased with non-stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Fold in a few raisins, grated fresh carrots, or white chocolate chips if desired.
- We use chopped walnuts, but you can also omit them or top them with chopped pecans. Feel free to decorate with festive sprinkles.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 1: In a large bowl, stir the box of cake mix, oil, sour cream, and eggs together on low speed with an electric mixer or hand mixer.
Step 2: Use a cookie scoop to make cookie dough balls and drop them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or prepared baking sheet.
Pro Tip:
Do not overmix the cookie batter. Stir just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Step 3: Bake for 11 minutes or until they are puffed and set. Allow the cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
Step 4: Beat the butter and cream cheese together. Then mix in the powdered sugar a cup at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
Step 5: On the cooled cookies, spread the frosting over the top of each cookie with a knife or piping bag.
Step 6: Sprinkle a few nuts on top of the cookies and serve.
Recipe Tips for Cake Mix Carrot Cookies
- This easy cookie recipe is ultra moist and chewy. They will stay soft for days!
- The cream cheese frosting recipe makes more than you’ll need for this recipe. If you want a thinner layer, you can halve the recipe.
- If you use 1-1.5 tablespoons of cookie dough, these will bake in 8 minutes.
Fun Fact
The carrot cake was inspired by carrot pudding and even has its own national holiday on February 3rd!
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You can also place them in freezer bags or ziplock bags and freeze them for up to 3 months. We recommend separating the layers with parchment paper.
Yes! Make the cookie dough, then cover it with plastic wrap in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance. Then bake as normal.
They have the same warm spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) except a spiced mix doesn’t have carrots. You can use this cake mix, just be sure to also add in shredded carrots for that carrot flavor.
More Amazing Cookie Recipes
If you tried this Carrot Cake Cookie Recipe or any other easy recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Carrot Cake Cookies from Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz. cake mix
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, oil, eggs, and sour cream until fully combined.
- Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to drop the cookie dough in mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (We made 2 tablespoon size cookies.)
- Bake cookies for 11 minutes, until puffed and set.
- Allow cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting by beating together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add in the vanilla extract. Frosting will be softer than a cake frosting.
- Spread a generous layer of frosting over each cooled cookie and top with a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Christina says
Excellent Recipe! So easy to make. The cookies are light as a cloud and the frosting is so fluffy! I will make these again.
Ali says
Hello what am I missing? I searched for “carrot cake cookie made with a spice cake mix” and this recipe came up. Recipe calls for a cake mix but I can’t seem to find what kind of cake mix? I assume carrot cake mix since no carrots are added to this recipe but not sure. Thanks.
Stefanie says
Hi Ali, yes, it’s with a carrot cake mix. You could certainly use the same recipe with a spice cake mix. You could even add in 1/2-1 cup finely grated carrots and I think it would cook up with the same texture and in the same approximate amount of time, though I haven’t tried it.