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Who doesn’t love carrot cake? It’s moist, flavorful, and perfect for any occasion. But what if you’re in the mood for something a little different? Say hello to carrot cake cookie cups! A sure way to get kids loves vegetables!
Carrot Cake Cookie Cups: Reinventing the Classic
You probably are already bored with your classic carrot cake. Or perhaps you find it hard for the kids to love it because of the thought that it is made with carrots. One thing I learned on how to teach them to love vegetables is to incorporate them into delicious desserts but in a cute way. Make them more fun by making them into carrot cake cookie cups. These bite-sized treats are made with all the same ingredients you know and love, but they’re baked in a muffin tin for a fun twist. And trust us, they’re just as delicious as traditional carrot cake.
Carrot Cake As Your Healthy Go-To Dessert
If you look at the ingredients of this dessert, you will realize that it is indeed packed with fiber, vitamins, and nutrients that your body requires. As we are all know, a carrot is a nutrient-dense vegetable that’s also delicious. Plus, the added pineapple fiber and walnuts antioxidants- who could say no to that?
These cute little desserts are a moist, dense, rich, and decadent treat in one bite. This is perfect for afternoon snacks paired with coffee and a good choice for your after-meal desserts. You can simply make this recipe using pantry staples, and it doesn’t require any special tools other than the mixer. You can make some of the prep ahead of time, like grating the carrots or making the frosting in advance to lessen your preparation time.
Let’s Make It Vegan
There is already a lot of goodness in this dessert that vegans will love. However, we need to tweak the recipe to transform it to 100% vegan-friendly. First would be the egg; we can replace it with apple sauce, flaxseed, or even mashed bananas. The butter in the recipe can be substituted with vegetable oil if you can’t find vegan option butter. You can serve it as it is without the frosting or replace the cream cheese and whipping cream with vegan options.
Storage
You can store already-baked carrot cookie cups in an airtight container inside the fridge for up to three days. Same as the one with cream cheese frosting.
Carrot Cake Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup crushed pineapple drained well
- ¾ cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- crushed walnuts for topping optional
Frosting
- 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Start the baking by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a (12's) muffin tin with cooking spray (grease well).
- Cream the butter and brown sugar until creamy in a big bowl,
- Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, then stir in the crushed pineapple and grated carrots.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir that into the carrot mixture.
- Fill the muffin tins to about half full with the cookie batter.
- Bake for about 17 minutes in the preheated oven or until the cookie cups are set.
- Make an indentation in cookie cups while still hot with the back of a tablespoon or cookie scoop (this step is pictured above). This indentation is where you will put the frosting into.
- Before removing it from the pan, allow the cookie cups to cool completely. They should come out easily by just pulling them out with your fingers or using a knife to help pop them out.
- Pipe cream cheese frosting into the cup starting from the indention and mound it on top to your preference.
- Top with crushed walnuts, if desired.
Frosting
- Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
- Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl, and beat until smooth.
- Fold it into your whipped cream.
- Transfer it to a piping bag until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Dessert Recipe
Love healthy baking recipes? You could try these simple recipes at home to impress your loved ones. Perfect for after-meal treats, coffee, and tea parties with friends and family!
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cups
To Wrap It All Up
Carrot cake is one of those desserts that makes you feel good after eating it. It’s moist, flavorful, and festive. This recipe for carrot cake cookie cups captures all of the best qualities of the classic dessert in a mini, bite-sized form. If you want to level up your dessert game, try this recipe!
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