Gluten-free Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches

Hey You! Yeah you reading this post.  How's life?  Got any big plans for the fall? Or winter?  What are they?  Are you baking and cooking lots of yummy delicious fall"ish" things?  I am serious though, what's up?  Sometimes I feel like I am just talking to myself in this littler corner of the Internet...I mean I kind of am talking to myself.  Right? Well I think you should totes leave me a comment.  Tell me what you're baking?  What should I be baking?  It really is just so awesome to hear from you all out there who just happen to be reading this.

Any who, this past weekend with my dad was great! We totes watched the homecoming parade and tailgated with my old friend Casey.  The band decided to stop near her tailgate too.  

Oh yes we do have a purple and gold fire truck.

The marching pirates.

I also got to say hey to Charles' parents and little sister and pass along hugs!  And of course I enjoyed being back in the south and stuffing myself with yummy Parker's barbecue and Waffle House.

But before the weekend could start there was another office birthday.  The request "maybe a Carrot cake cookie sandwich or whoopee pie with cream cheese frosting….." The result were gluten-free carrot cake sandwich cookies, and let me tell you they were delicious!  You can barely tell they are gluten-free (Also, you can definitely substitute flour for the gluten-free baking mix.  The cookies just might not spread as much.). These cookies spread out but remain soft and have an awesome buttery-cinnamon flavor.  The raisins plump up nicely in the oven, and the coconut and carrots add great texture.  You should definitely give these a try!  Happy Tuesday!

A little fold and a lot of Yum!

Cookies ready for the oven.  They really do have to be this far apart or they will merge into one giant cookie.

Gluten-free Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches:

1 1/2 cups Pamela's Ultimate baking mix(sifted)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup, (2 stick) unsalted butter softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute

1 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups oats

Cream Cheese Filling:

6 oz - 1/3 fat cream cheese

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat over to 350 degree F

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the Pamela's Ultimate, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Then whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.

4. Whisk the dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients, then fold in the carrots, raisins, coconut and oats.

5. Place 1 teaspoon rounds of cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, approximately 2 inches apart, using a 1" cookie scoop.

6. Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

7. While cookies are cooling, prepare filling.

8. In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar using an electric mixer.  Then mix in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar.

9. Once cookies have cooled, match up them by size and using a piping bag, pipe a layer of frosting on one side of the cookie, and sandwich it with another.  Store in the refrigerator until serving and Enjoy!