Carrot Cake Cookies with Brown Sugar Ermine Frosting

These carrot cake cookies have all the cozy flavor you love in classic carrot cake, baked into soft, tender cookies. Then, I finish them off with a light, old-fashioned brown sugar ermine frosting and chopped pecans. They’re warmly spiced, perfectly sweet, and made with finely grated carrots so every bite stays soft and cake-like without feeling heavy. If you love carrot cake, you will want to try these cookies!

• 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
• ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (110 g) finely grated carrots, lightly packed

• 1 cup (244 g) whole milk
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ cup (55 g) chopped pecans, for topping, optional