Brown Butter Carrot Cookies
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Carrot desserts are often overshadowed by carrot cake, but these Brown Butter Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze deserve the spotlight. They’re tender, warmly spiced with star anise, and topped with a bright citrus glaze that makes them irresistible. If you love cookies with a twist, this recipe will quickly become a favorite.
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Heather’s Notes
- Nutty brown butter flavor adds depth and richness that balances the sweetness of carrots and glaze.
- Unique use of baby carrots creates natural moisture and subtle sweetness in the dough.
- Star anise infusion brings a warm, aromatic note that makes these cookies stand out from classic spice cookies.
- Easy to make ahead and store, making them perfect for meal prep or holiday baking.
- Bright orange glaze gives a fresh, tangy finish that keeps the cookies light and flavorful.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a photo that I took this morning of an old recipe box. The first thing I look for when I hit up a garage sale is anything recipe related. Books, recipe boxes or show boxes full of newspaper clippings. Not that I really need more recipes (I have over 300 cookbooks). But I guess I feel it’s my duty to “save” the recipes. What if no one bought it and they ended up in the trash? Years of collecting, handwriting, typing and cataloging. That would just be a sad moment.
Ingredients in Carrot Cookies
For the Cookies
- Unsalted butter (1/2 cup, 1 stick) – browned for a nutty, toasty base flavor.
- Star anise (1 pod) – steeped in the butter to infuse delicate licorice-like spice.
- Egg (1 large) – binds the dough together and gives structure.
- Sugar (1 cup, granulated) – adds sweetness and balances the earthy carrots.
- Baby carrots (1 cup, finely grated) – provides natural moisture, sweetness, and a soft texture.
- Vanilla (1 teaspoon) – rounds out the flavor with warmth.
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon) – helps the cookies rise slightly for a tender bite.
- Kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon) – balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
- All-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups) – the base that holds everything together.
For the Orange Glaze
- Orange juice (2 tablespoons, fresh-squeezed) – gives a bright, tangy flavor.
- Orange zest (1 teaspoon) – adds aromatic citrus notes.
- Kosher salt (pinch) – balances the sweetness of the glaze.
- Powdered sugar (1 cup) – creates a smooth, pourable glaze.
Substitutions & Variations
- Spice swap – use cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom if you don’t have star anise.
- Carrots – regular carrots work if grated finely; baby carrots are just more tender.
- Butter alternative – plant-based butter works for dairy-free cookies, though browning may not be as pronounced.
- Glaze variations – swap orange juice with lemon or lime juice for a different citrus kick.
- Nut add-in – fold in chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch.
How to Make
- Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat with the star anise pod. Cook until golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Remove the star anise and let butter cool slightly.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a bowl, whisk the browned butter, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in grated carrots and vanilla.
- Combine dry ingredients: In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually fold into the wet mixture until combined.
- Scoop & bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes until edges are golden. Cool completely.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk orange juice, zest, pinch of salt, and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Glaze cookies: Drizzle over cooled cookies and let set before serving.
Tips for Storing
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week for extended freshness.
- Freeze unglazed cookies in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
- Add glaze only when ready to serve to prevent soggy tops.
These cookies are more on the shortbread or scone front than a typical chewy or cake-y cookie. But don’t fret…they are incredibly addicting. In fact, I am currently having a back and forth conversation in my head about why I deserve to have another one (read 5th one). They’re screaming my name from the kitchen as I type. Make it stop. 🙂 Alright, let’s stop all this chatter and get to the recipe! Thanks to Ella Pike – whoever you are for inspiring carrot deliciousness!
FAQs
Yes, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours before baking. Let it come to room temperature for easier scooping.
If using baby carrots, no peeling is needed. For regular carrots, peeling is recommended for best texture.
Absolutely. Freeze baked cookies (without glaze) for up to 2 months. Add glaze after thawing.
Brown butter enhances the flavor, adding depth and nuttiness that pairs beautifully with carrots and citrus.
Yes, substitute a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend. Texture may be slightly different but still delicious.
More Recipes We Love
- Double Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins
- Brown Butter Herbed Mashed Potatoes
- Curried Carrot & Apple Soup
- Pumpkin Spiced Cookies
- Easy Cashew Horchata
Brown Butter Carrot Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ cups baby carrots, 6.5 oz, steamed until soft, coarsely mashed and cooled.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
Orange Glaze:
- juice from 1 orange
- zest from 1/2 of the orange
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add the butter and star anise to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter begins to brown and smells nutty, about 15 minutes. Discard the star anise and pour the butter into a small glass bowl and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, or until solid.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
- Beat the butter in the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and egg and beat until combined. Add the mashed carrots and vanilla and beat just until combined. Add the baking powder, salt and sifted flour and mix just until combined.
- Use a hinged scoop to achieve uniform cookies, or drop 1/4 cup sized balls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 15-18 minutes, until centers are set. Cool on a wire rack.
- To make the Glaze: add the orange juice, zest, salt and powdered sugar to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle over the cookies and allow to set for 15-20 minutes before serving.
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Nutrition
* Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!
Glad to find this recipe…my grandmother made this recipe and brings back GREAT times…..THANKS. FOR. FINDING!!!!! Dana Thompson
My grandma used to make these exact cookies (without the glaze) all the time for me; they were my favorite! I could never find the recipe anywhere online, so I finally just copied it from her recipe box. I’ve had the recipe for more than 5 years but never made them because I didn’t realize how bad they were for you and, like you, didn’t want to use shortening.Thinking I’m definitely going to have to try to make them this weekend though!
Made these for the first time tonight! They are absolutely delish! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them Danielle! They are super addicting for sure!! Thanks for commenting – I appreciate it greatly!!
I finally had the chance to make these this morning. I went with 1/4 tsp of the extract, and they turned out great! Now I just need to stop eating them!!
That is awesome Winter. I will make a note in the recipe so other readers will know they can substitute with extract. They sure are addicting. I need to make them again! I bet they’d be good with zucchini too! Mmm…the possibilities. 🙂 Thanks for letting me know they worked out. Love it. ~heather
All I could find at the store was pure anise liquid. How much of that would I use in place of the whole star anise? I’m excited to try this recipe! Thanks 🙂
I’m so sorry for the delay. If you’re using Anise extract, I would only use a small amount. 1/4 teaspoon at most or it will overpower the browned butter. Also, you may want to add it after the butter is browned and right before you pop it in the fridge to solidify it. Maybe start with 1/8 teaspoon and taste the browned butter. I’d hate for it to be too strong and since I’ve never made it using extract, I’m not sure how it will turn out. For future reference, you can buy whole anise at Cost Plus World Market for very little money. Let me know how it turns out!!
I am seriously a fan of anything with brown butter, and adding in carrot just makes this even better!
Title sounded awful. Cookies look delicious. After reading ingredients and comparing them to scones, I’ll try them.
LOVE the idea of putting whole spices into the browning butter. Pinning immediately!
300 cookbooks?!? I am so impressed!
These cookies sound looks so tasty! Love the story behind them!
I’m with you on the shortening thing, and I love to rescue old recipes too! I’m inspired to pull out some of my boxes now.
You already know how much I love this entire post, right? Garage sales, old recipe boxes, butter (and the mention of your beloved bourbon)…wonderful!!!!
There’s nothing better than brown butter, these look relish!
Now this is how I would like to eat my carrots!
I love everythingggg about this recipe!!
You had me at brown butter
Sounds amazing! The old recipes are just the best, aren’t they? Love the idea of spicing your butter. Brilliant!
This looks so good! I have an old recipe tapes in one of my kitchen cabinets. I haven’t made it yet, but I need to!
WOW that is so cool! I love a good treasure like this, and brown butter, come on! YUM.
I just made a recipe last night that my Mom had typed up! Funny!
Love this – sounds SO good!
Love carrot cookies! The addition of brown butter is perfect!
Old recipes are the best…this inspired me to go through my recipe box and maybe break a few out. Putting carrots in cookies is a great idea.
I have cookies that talk to me like that too. These cookies look delicious and I love the flavor combinations!
I love stumbling upon old recipe like this–awesome!