Fantastic Fall Treats

DECORATE. The completed cookies fully decorated and on the cooling rack. The cookies look very professional and appetizing once completed. Photo courtesy of Ava Coombs.

Have you been on the hunt for a nice cozy fall bake? Because I certainly have. I am ready for fall and everything that comes with it, especially the food. I began searching for a baked good that intrigued me and was successful on the Pioneer Woman’s website, which I’ve used for bakes in the past. A recipe for Carrot Cake Cookies written by Josh Miller really caught my eye because it seemed like a perfect first autumn bake. I decided to gather the ingredients I needed for the cookies and get to work. Here is the process I went through, and my thoughts on the cookies themselves. 

The recipe stated that the preparation time should take a total of 25 minutes, and the total time to complete the cookies should be 1 hour and 15 minutes. This was definitely not true for me, and many of the people who left reviews on the article agreed that the cookies take a long time to finish. 

One commenter stated, “Personally, I thought the cookies were just okay and not worth the amount of time and labor they took.”

I, however, disagree. While the cookies did take me longer than an hour and a half to make, I think they were well worth the effort because they ended up looking very nice, and they definitely tasted like carrot cake. Others who left messages on the recipe had the same opinion. 

A second commenter wrote, “Loved them. Yes they took a bit of work but so worth it.”

I definitely agree with this comment, but I do believe that these cookies are not the best choice if you are in a time crunch. The estimated total time was an hour and a half, but it took me nearly twice as long. While they are delicious, I would not assume the predicted total time is accurate. I was sharing the oven with my mom while baking, so I could only fit one tray in the oven at a time. I made a total of thirty-three cookies with the recipe, and was able to fit nine cookies at most on a tray at a time. Hopefully you are able to fit at least two trays at a time, and cut your total bake time in half.

One recommendation I have for toasting the walnuts is pulling them out and flipping them over about halfway through baking them to ensure they don’t burn. A time saving recommendation would be to use a food processor for the carrots instead of standing and grating the 2 ½ cups of carrots by hand. 

My final review of the cookies is that they are delectable. If you enjoy carrot cake, but maybe don’t want a big slice, then these cookies are definitely for you. I liked these cookies even better than an actual slice of carrot cake because of their size and texture, which was a bit crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect for a bake sale or party, I would recommend this recipe to anyone who has a couple hours to make a fall themed bake. I hope to make these again, either later in the season or next fall, and that you decide to make them as well. 

Here is where you can find the recipe if you decide to make these yourself:

View Recipe