Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies! Perfectly spiced, soft and fluffy, and filled with a sweet and silky cream cheese frosting. Each bite of these cake cookies will melt in your mouth with goodness.

CARROT WHOOPIE PIE INGREDIENTS

I opted to make these from scratch vs whoopie pies with a cake mix. While cake mixes work wonders, I wanted to really let the carrots shine in this one. You will be surprised how simple it is to whip up the batter and make perfect little cookies without the use of pre-made mixes. Here is what you need:

All-Purpose Flour: You can actually substitute whole wheat, but you will get a slightly different texture. If this is the route you’d like to go I suggest starting with half and half substitute. Half whole wheat half all-purpose.
Baking Soda AND Baking Powder: Fresh leavening agents are key to a soft and fluffy cookie. Be sure to double check the expiration dates before starting.
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Salt: If you’re new to carrot cake, these are the key spices that really send the flavors over the top. Of course, cinnamon is the star with strong backup from nutmeg and salt.
Butter: I always use salted butter in my baking. I like the added flavor and it is also what we purchase normally. You can definitely leave out the added salt if using salted butter, or substitute with unsalted.
Sugar: BOTH granulated (white) sugar and brown sugar are used in the batter. You’ll get a nice molasses addition thanks to the brown that compliments the carrots.
Eggs: Large eggs at room temp. Leaving the eggs out for 20 minutes will help them break off the chill of the refrigerator and help them blend easily into the better and avoid over mixing.
Vanilla extract: ALWAYS reach for pure vanilla extract and not imitation. Pure vanilla gives you a sweet flavor without a chemical aftertaste.
Shredded carrots: Baking hack, did you know they sell shredded carrots at the store? You can always pick up one of those bags. However, I do suggest giving them a light chop to make smaller pieces for these cookies. OR you can shred your own using a cheese grater. Just watch those fingers!

HOW TO MAKE WHOOPIE PIE COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line two baking trays with parchment paper, to keep the cookies from sticking, and set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium sized bowl until combined. Set aside.
Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat 5 minutes or until fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well, followed by the dry ingredients.
Fold in the carrots with a spatula.
Scoop equal portions of batter onto your prepared sheets using a measuring spoon or cookie scoop for even sizing.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cookie has lightly browned edges.
Cool completely and sandwich two cookies with a layer of cream cheese frosting.

Air fryer Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Print Recipe

I’ve taken two things that I love – the great American whoopie pie and good-old carrot cake – to create perfectly formed afternoon treats that you can cook to order in an air fryer. I like to make a batch and keep them in the freezer, so they’re ready and waiting for those times when only something sweet will do.

Author: Julia
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale

100g white chocolate
1 orange
165g full-fat cream cheese
85g unsalted butter
100g stem ginger balls in syrup
200g self-raising flour
100g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200g carrots
50g pistachios
1 medium free-range egg

Instructions

For the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (or melt in the microwave). Finely grate in half the orange zest, then mix in the cream cheese. Cover, then place in the fridge and leave to chill for at least 1 hour to firm up.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat with a pinch of sea salt and 1 tablespoon of syrup from the stem ginger jar.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl.
Trim, peel and grate the carrots into the bowl, finely grate in the remaining orange zest, then finely chop and add the pistachios and stem ginger balls.
Pour in the melted butter mixture and mix together, then crack in the egg, mixing until fully combined.
Use two dessert spoons to divide the mixture into 14 balls (roughly the same size as golf balls), placing them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper as you go (you can freeze them at this stage, ready to bake another day, if you like).
When you’re ready to cook, lightly oil the air-fryer basket or shelf. Working in batches, transfer four balls to the air fryer, making sure there’s a 1cm gap in between them. Cook at 170°C for 12 minutes (or 15 minutes from frozen), then carefully remove the air-fryer basket or shelf and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool, while you cook the next batches (or leave them in the freezer for a rainy day).
Once the cookies are completely cool, sandwich them with the cream cheese frosting, to serve.

Notes

Swap the pistachios for your favourite nut – think hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds. Feel free to swap the white chocolate for dark or milk chocolate, if you prefer.