SMS - Coconut Pecan Frosting on Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Drizzle (Gutsy Cooks posted earlier this morning)

Sweet Melissa Sundays is being hosted this morning by one of my favorite food blogging friends: Eliana of a Chica Bakes! Here blog site is almost as adorable as she is. I love her warm and genuine personality portrayed and written in such a positive light everytime I visit her blog. She is ALWAYS so supportive. I couldn't wait to make the Coconut Pecan Frosting with her this week. Not a big surprise about the choice since I KNOW Eliana LOVES, loves, loves coconut =). Hugs Eliana, you rock!

The coconut pecan frosting turned out so thick and finger licking delicious! Okay, you may not see coconut in this picture of delicious frosting . . . Eliana, I love you but girl, my coconut loving taste bud must be missing.

When I was a little girl, a treat was Mom and Dad bringing us home a coconut and letting us open the top holes to drain the coconut water out then crack it open and spend at least an hour prying the snow white coconut flesh out, then peeling the brown skin off the back of the coconut meat. I have no idea what happened along the way. Maybe I only like coconut fresh out of the shell?

I was going to bake carrot cake whoopie pies but instead I baked Carrot Cake Cookies, filled them with Melissa's Pecan frosting and drizzled with cream cheese and honey over the top. We carefully brought out Grandma's fine China and served the cookies with tea.

Grandma's fine china is a treat because Grandpa brought the dish set back from Japan as a wedding present to his new wife. After my grandpa pasted away, Grandma split the set up among 2 of us girls. I have her teapot, creamer and saucer set. A treasure to be loved!

The Carrot Cake Whoopie Cookie recipe came from the old Gourmet website (a moment of sadness, RIP).

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)

1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces)

For cookie top drizzle or filling

4 ounces cream cheese

1/8 cup honey

(I have been bitten by the fresh nurmeg Bug! Whenever a recipe calls for nutmeg, I get so excited to be able to whip out my fresh nutmeg and grate away, watching the little flakes float over my dry ingredients.)

Directions:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Chill dough in freezer for 15 minutes.

Drop 1 tablespoon batter per cookie 2 inches apart on silipat mats and bake on baking sheets, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

Check out the recipe for the frosting on Eliana's website by clicking here OR buy Melissa's cookbook; haven't we convinced you yet?