When my husband first tried these cookie sandwiches, he took a moment for himself and then said “This is the best thing you’ve ever made.” And he meant it. There is something elusive about these cookies—lightly spiced with cardamom, the floral orange flavor somehow both mellow and bright.
The cookies themselves are soft and pillowy, and the buttercream filling puts them over the top. But it’s not too much. It’s just right.
Don’t let the visible carrots fool you, these are definitely not carrot cake copycats and don’t taste like a spiced carrot cake whatsoever. When baked, the grated carrots become very soft but keep their shape. The carrots add moisture, softness, and a little bit of natural sweetness. I’m not sure why, but somehow seeing the vibrant orange carrot color in these cookies makes me happy! They look so cheerful and springy.
Orange Blossom Water is made from distilling the bitter orange tree’s flower blossoms. Traditionally, it is widely used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. The fragrance is heady yet delicate—the taste is divine. Unlike orange zest or juice, which are citrusy, orange blossom water is floral. It is really unique and hard to explain to someone who hasn’t tried it.
I used Cortas Orange Blossom Water which I bought at my local Middle Eastern grocery store. If there isn’t a Middle Eastern goods store in your area, it may be more expensive to buy online, but worth it.
This recipe also calls for carrots. Carrot sizes vary so much, so I hesitate specifying a particular size, but most likely two medium carrots or one large carrot will do. Just make sure it’s enough to fill one measuring cup (not packed). I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure out 100 grams of grated carrots.
The other ingredients in this recipe are simple items that are most likely in your pantry and refrigerator, like an egg, all-purpose flour, sugar, butter, etc.
Things to keep in mind—
— Do not skip chilling the dough. When mixing the batter, it may remind you a little bit of cake batter. This is a very wet cookie dough and really needs at least 30 minutes of chill time for the flour to absorb some of the moisture. Put the dough back in the fridge in between baking batches of cookies.
— Use a cookie cutter to round out cookies after baking. Right after the cookies are out of the oven, encircle them with a round cookie cutter and gently even out any lopsided edges This is optional, but will help create even cookies sandwiches.
— Let the cookies cool completely before adding the buttercream filling. If the cookies are too warm, the buttercream will melt right off.
— Add icing to all cookie halves before sandwiching. Once the last baking sheet of dough balls is in the oven, count the total number of cookies yielded. Divide that number by two—this is how many cookies will need the buttercream filling added. Add an even amount of filling to each one. Divvy out any leftover filling to the cookies that look a little skimpy. Once you have frosted all of the sandwich halves, and there’s no buttercream left, sandwich a plain cookie and a frosted cookie together. Gently push them together and wiggle them back and forth to stick. Frosting each half before sandwiching helps to ensure a more even distribution of buttercream.
— Spread icing out to the edges of the cookies. Since these cookies are very soft, they can’t be pressed or twisted very hard to make the filling squish toward the outside edges. When frosting the cookies, go ahead and spread the filling very close to the outside edges.
Check out more recipes with a little floral flair:
Rosemary & Lemon Cornmeal Cake
Rose, Cardamom, & Poppy Seed Brown Sugar Cookies
Caramelized Honey & Lavender Shortbread
CARROT & ORANGE BLOSSOM COOKIE SANDWICHES
Makes 22-23 small sandwich cookies
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COOKIES
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 11 tablespoons (156 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup (100 g / approx. one large or two medium carrots) finely grated carrots
- 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING
- 7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Finely grate the carrot(s) and reserve. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cardamom.
In another large mixing bowl, briefly whisk the brown and white sugars together. Pour in the melted butter and stir vigorously until the mixture is incorporated—this will take about a minute. Add the egg, orange blossom, and vanilla and stir again for another minute. Stir in the grated carrots, and then add the flour and mix until just combined.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats.
Once the dough has chilled, scoop small dough balls with an even tablespoon or Size 70 cookie scoop. Each ball weighs about 17 grams. Bake for 8 1/2 – 9 minutes. Let the cookies cool for about seven minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
While the last batch of cookies is baking, start on the buttercream filling. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, milk, orange blossom water, vanilla, and salt until fluffy. This will take about three to four minutes.
Using an offset spatula or the utensil of your choice, dollop even amounts of buttercream filling to each cookie half and spread evenly toward the outside edges. Once half of the cookies are frosted, sandwich them together with plain cookies. See above notes in the “Things To Keep In Mind” section for more instructions if needed.
Store these cookies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. They can be brought to room temperature before serving, but they also taste very creamy straight from the refrigerator!
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