Cooking: carrot cake cookies

Carrot cake must be one of the best inventions humans can ever think of.  So luscious, so nutty, so... healthy with all those carrots ... ;-) I really consider this as my go-to dessert and I'm always on the lookout for new variations.  When my friend Jessi invited me to a Pub Quiz night, I knew this was the opportunity (plus it had been Carrot Cake day some days before...).  Given that such nights ask for finger food, I couldn't make a proper cake.  But I could turn the cake into cookies - the perfect finger food...

Carrot Cake cookies

(adapted from Lauren's Latest)

60g softened butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped

50g softened cream cheese
60g softened butter
1 teaspoon orange/clementine zest (I used clementines)
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees fan. 

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, vegetable oil, sugar and maple syrup until smooth.  Add vanilla and egg. Continue with adding the dry ingredients and stir. Carefully add carrots and chopped pecans.  

Using an ice-cream scoop, "drop" cookie dough onto baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.  Take out cookies and leave on baking sheet for another 2 minutes, then let them cool off completely on a rack.

While the cookies are baking, I prepared the frosting:  just whip all ingredients (very carefully with all that powdered sugar...) until smooth.  Once the cookies are cool, spread with frosting.  I then placed the cookies in the fridge overnight to make extra certain they harden up ...

The Pub Quiz was a revelation - super fun! (and I think the cookies were appreciated as well ♥ )