Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups oats, quick cooking (Not instant or old fashioned)
- 1 1/4 cups, fine grated carrots
- Optional: 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup raisins, dark or golden
- 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
- 1 cup Imperial Sugar Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup, firmly packed, Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Cream Cheese Frosting
Decoration
- 1 bag jelly beans
- 1 cup sweetened coconut
- Yellow food color
- 1 cup orange candy melts
- Candy eyeballs
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon ,and salt. Stir in oats and set aside.
- In a separate bowl combine carrots, coconut, raisins, and pecans.
- In a third bowl cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars and blend well. Add eggs 1 at a time and scrape in between. Add vanilla and whip well.
- Add all dry ingredients in one step and mix until just combined. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
- On parchment lined or lightly buttered pans drop the batter in large tablespoon amounts, about 2-inches apart.
- Bake until light golden about 13 minutes. Cookies will still be very soft in center but will firm once cooled.
- Meanwhile prepare cream cheese frosting and set aside in the refrigerator. When cookies are cold, sandwich with cream cheese frosting using a piping bag or spatula.
- To make chicks, place coconut in a bowl and add 1 drop of yellow food color, mix by (gloved) hand until color is well distributed. Set aside.
- Melt 1 cup of orange candy melt according to manufacturer’s directions and pour in a piping bag fitted with a very small decorating tip such as # 2 or #3.
- Pipe feet and beak for chicks onto plastic or parchment paper. Set aside to harden.
- Take 6 cookies and break them apart. Add some cream cheese and press together until you can shape mixture into cookie balls. Form cookie balls about 1/2-inch in diameter. (Balls grow larger when coconut is applied.)
- Adhere a coat of cream cheese onto cookie balls and roll into yellow coconut. Repeat with cream cheese and coconut if cookie still shows.
- Make an indention for beak by pressing point of a paring knife into cookie ball. Squeeze in beak. With a small amount of cream cheese stick on candy eyeballs.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round decorating tip such as # 5 or # 6 with cream cheese frosting.
- Pipe cream cheese in a squiggly manner to simulate a nest.
- Place candy feet onto cookie followed by the body. Decorate with jelly beans.