These carrot cake mix cookies are soft, chewy, and topped with pre-made cream cheese frosting. The cookie dough comes together in about 10 minutes with a box of cake mix, making this an easy dessert recipe that still tastes homemade.
Each cookie has a warm carrot cake flavor, a hint of cinnamon, and sweet white chocolate chips. Once baked and cooled on a wire rack, the cookies are topped with cream cheese frosting for a simple dessert that works well for spring baking, Easter gatherings, or anytime you want carrot cake in cookie form.
If you like easy carrot cake cookies, you have to try my lemon cake mix cool whip cookies and my classic lemon cake mix cookies.
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Shortcut Notes
- Boxed cake mix shortcut: Using a box of carrot cake mix means the cookie dough comes together quickly without measuring flour, sugar, or leavening.
- No refrigeration: No need to chill the dough! Just mix, scoop, bake.
- Premade frosting: Using a tub of cream cheese frosting keeps this recipe fast and easy while still giving the cookies that classic carrot cake flavor.
Ingredient Breakdown
- Carrot cake mix: A boxed carrot cake mix creates the base for these chewy cookies and provides the classic carrot cake flavor. I recommend Duncan Hines.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind the cookie dough.
- Vegetable oil: Oil keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
- Milk: A small amount of milk helps loosen the thick cake mix dough so it mixes evenly and keeps the carrot cake cookies from being too puffy.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds a little extra warmth to the carrot cake flavor.
- White chocolate chips: Adds little pockets of creaminess.
- Cream cheese frosting: A tub of premade cream cheese frosting is used to frost the cooled cookies for a classic carrot cake finish. I use a Wilton #1A piping tip, but I think a smaller tip would be best.
- Sprinkles: I found pastel Easter sprinkles and carrot icing decorations from Target.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C): Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and cinnamon. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until fully combined and a thick dough forms. Stir in the white chocolate chips by hand.
Scoop: Scoop about 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten gently with the bottom of a glass.
Bake: Bake for 9–12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft. Do not overbake.
Cool: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once fully cooled, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting over each cookie.
Substitutions
- Carrot cake mix: Spice cake mix can also be used for a slightly different flavor (more like a gingerbread flavor).
- Vegetable oil: Melted butter can be used instead. The cookies will be slightly denser.
- Cream cheese frosting: Use homemade cream cheese frosting if you prefer (see the recipe card Notes).
Behind the Recipe
I love cake mix cookie recipes. I use Duncan Hines most often since Betty Crocker reduced the size of their cake mix, and the Duncan Hines carrot cake mix has a nice saltiness that works really well in these cookies.
My top tip is to use a small cookie scoop. A cookie scoop keeps the dough balls consistent so the cookies bake evenly on the baking sheet.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear what you think! Please take a moment to leave a rating and review—it helps me create high-quality recipes and lets others know what to expect.
FAQ
Yes. You can bake the cookies a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight container.
Yes. Freeze the cookies unfrosted for best results and add the cream cheese frosting after thawing.
If the box of cake mix is smaller than the recipe calls for, the cookies may spread too much. Too much oil or liquid can also cause spreading.
📖 Recipe
Carrot Cake Mix Cookies
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz) box carrot cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 (16 oz) tub premade cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C): Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and cinnamon. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until fully combined and a thick dough forms. Stir in the white chocolate chips by hand.
- Scoop: Scoop about 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten gently with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake: Bake for 9–12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft. Do not overbake.
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost: Once fully cooled, spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting over each cookie.
Notes
Nutrition
More Cake Mix Treats
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Kelsey Smith says
I'll never get tired of cake mix cookies. They are so easy to make, and I love the soft texture. If you give these a try, I would love it if you would leave a rating!