Bake a Second Batch: Carrot Cake Cookies

Based on the classic whoopie pie, these soft sandwiches provide all the pleasures of traditional carrot cake in a fun-to-eat package, including the thick, tangy cream cheese frosting—especially the cream cheese frosting. They pack up easily; just stack between wax paper so they won't stick together. Give a batch to your neighbor, your kid's teacher, or the person hosting Easter brunch. And don't forget to make a batch of your own; it would be a shame not to enjoy them yourself.

We toss shredded carrot with a little sugar and let the mixture stand for a few minutes. This tenderizes the shreds—important here because, unlike with an actual carrot cake that bakes for a while, these cook for only 11 minutes, not much time for the carrots to cook to softness.

After scooping dough onto baking sheets, gently pat it down so that cookies bake generally flat; aim for 2-inch circles.

When assembling the cookie sandwiches, press together gently so filling flattens and spreads all the way out to the edges.

To bake a second batch, mix up and bake two separate batches of cookie batter instead of one large batch. You can make just one big double-batch of the cream cheese filling, though. For giving, stack between layers of wax paper in a box. If they're an Easter gift, arrange in the box on a bed of Easter-basket grass.