Carrot Cake Brown Butter Cheesecake Cookies
These brown butter carrot cake cheesecake cookies are soft, chewy, warmly spiced, and filled with creamy vanilla cheesecake shards. They have all the best parts of carrot cake — brown sugar, cinnamon, grated carrots, toasted walnuts, and cozy spice — but in thick bakery-style cookie form.
The brown butter gives them that deep, nutty flavor, while the cheesecake pieces add little creamy pockets throughout. These are especially good cold, so definitely chill the baked cookies before eating.
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Cookie Dough
91 g brown butter, browned and cooled
90 g dark brown sugar
80 g granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tbsp vanilla extract
175 g all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of cardamom, optional
80 g grated carrots
60 g chopped walnuts
Cheesecake bark, chopped and frozen
Cheesecake Bark
Ingredients
160 g cream cheese, room temperature
105 g white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
Pinch of salt
Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
Instructions
In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, salt, and vanilla bean seeds.
Mix until smooth and creamy.
Fold in the melted white chocolate until fully combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cheesecake mixture into a thin, even layer.
Freeze for about 1 hour, or until firm.
Chop into shards and keep in the freezer until ready to fold into the cookie dough.
Make the Cookie Dough
In a bowl, whisk together the browned butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until roughly combined.
Add the egg and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture looks smooth, glossy, and slightly lightened.
Fold in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom if using.
Once a soft cookie dough forms, fold in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts.
Lastly, gently fold in the frozen cheesecake shards. Keep them frozen until the moment you add them so they stay chunky in the dough.
Scoop the dough into cookie dough balls and place onto a lined baking sheet.
Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 12–16 hours.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Space the chilled cookie dough balls apart on the baking sheet.
Bake for 14–16 minutes, until golden around the edges and set in the center.
Remove from the oven and scoot the cookies while warm, if needed.
Let cool fully before enjoying.
For the Best Texture
These cookies are best enjoyed cold. I recommend popping them into the fridge for 1–2 hours before eating so the cheesecake pieces firm up, the spices settle in, and the cookie gets extra chewy.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes if you want a softer bite.
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Carrot Cake Brown Butter Cheesecake Cookies
These brown butter carrot cake cheesecake cookies are soft, chewy, warmly spiced, and filled with creamy vanilla cheesecake shards. They have all the best parts of carrot cake — brown sugar, cinnamon, grated carrots, toasted walnuts, and cozy spice — but in thick bakery-style cookie form.
Ingredients
- 91 g brown butter, browned and cooled
- 90 g dark brown sugar
- 80 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Dash of cardamom, optional
- 80 g grated carrots
- 60 g chopped walnuts
- Cheesecake bark, chopped and frozen
- 160 g cream cheese, room temperature
- 105 g white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
- Pinch of salt
- Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, salt, and vanilla bean seeds.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Fold in the melted white chocolate until fully combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cheesecake mixture into a thin, even layer.
- Freeze for about 1 hour, or until firm.
- Chop into shards and keep in the freezer until ready to fold into the cookie dough.
- In a bowl, whisk together the browned butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until roughly combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture looks smooth, glossy, and slightly lightened.
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom if using.
- Once a soft cookie dough forms, fold in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts.
- Lastly, gently fold in the frozen cheesecake shards. Keep them frozen until the moment you add them so they stay chunky in the dough.
- Scoop the dough into cookie dough balls and place onto a lined baking sheet.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 12–16 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Space the chilled cookie dough balls apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes, until golden around the edges and set in the center.
- Remove from the oven and scoot the cookies while warm, if needed.
- Let cool fully before enjoying.
