Zucchini Cream Cheese Frosted Cookies

From the roundup: 24 Zucchini Cookies Recipes Easy Enough for Any Home Baker

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Zucchini cream cheese frosted cookies are one of those late-summer bakes I keep coming back to when the garden is producing more zucchini than my family can eat in a week. The cookies themselves are soft and cake-like, lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and the cream cheese frosting is simple enough that I can pull it together while the cookies are cooling on the rack.

The active work here is about 20 minutes, mostly grating and squeezing the zucchini and mixing two bowls. Then the oven does its thing for 11 to 13 minutes, and you wait for the cookies to cool completely before frosting. That cooling step is the one place where impatience will cost you, because warm cookies and cream cheese frosting do not cooperate.

These make 24 cookies, which is enough to fill a plate for a potluck or stock the fridge for a few days of after-school snacks. My kids have never once complained about eating their vegetables this way.

Why you will love this

• The texture is genuinely cake-like and stays soft for days, not crunchy or dry by the next morning.
• One medium zucchini is all you need, which makes this a good use for that overgrown one you missed in the garden.
• The frosting comes together in about 3 minutes with a hand mixer and uses only 4 ingredients.
• They travel well to potlucks because the cookies hold their shape and the frosting sets firm in the fridge.
• The spice level is subtle enough that even picky eaters who claim to hate zucchini will eat several.

Tips for success

• Squeeze the zucchini until it feels almost dry, not just damp. I use a clean dish towel and twist it hard over the sink. Skipping this step is the main reason these cookies spread thin and turn gummy.
• Press the tops of the dough balls down slightly before baking. These cookies do not spread on their own, so without that gentle flatten you will end up with rounded domes instead of a flat surface to frost.
• Pull the cookies at 11 to 12 minutes even if the centers look underdone. They firm up as they cool on the pan, and an extra minute or two in the oven is the difference between soft and dry.
• Do not frost until the cookies are fully cool, not just warm. I have rushed this and ended up with frosting that slides right off. Give them at least 20 minutes on the wire rack.

Common questions

• Can you taste the zucchini? Not really. It adds moisture and a soft texture, but the cinnamon and nutmeg are what you actually taste.
• Why did my cookies spread too much? Almost always this comes down to zucchini that was not squeezed dry enough, or butter that was too warm when you started mixing.
• Do these need to be refrigerated? Yes, because of the cream cheese frosting. Store them covered in the fridge and pull them out 10 to 15 minutes before serving if you want them at room temperature.
• Can I make these without frosting? Yes. The cookies are good plain, especially warm from the oven, though the frosting is what makes them feel like a real dessert.

Substitutions

For a gluten-free version, a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour works well here. Ground allspice can replace the nutmeg if that is what you have in the spice drawer. Coconut oil at the same amount can substitute for the butter in the cookie dough, though the texture will be slightly different.

For dairy-free, use a softened dairy-free cream cheese block and vegan butter in the frosting. The cookies themselves are easy to make dairy-free by swapping the butter for coconut oil, since there is no milk or cheese in the dough itself.

Make-ahead and storage

You can bake the cookies a day ahead and store them unfrosted at room temperature in an airtight container. Make the frosting the next day and spread it just before you need them. This is actually my preferred approach for potlucks because the frosting looks fresher and you are not trying to transport a platter of already-frosted cookies.

Frosted cookies keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. If you need to stack them, put a sheet of parchment between layers. Unfrosted cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and frost before serving. I would not freeze already-frosted cookies since the cream cheese frosting does not hold up well through a freeze-thaw cycle.

Brittany Stage

Zucchini Cream Cheese Frosted Cookies

These soft, lightly spiced zucchini cookies bake up cake-like and tender, then get finished with a simple cream cheese frosting. They are easy enough for a weeknight bake but special enough to bring to a potluck.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 24 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 148

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 cups zucchini finely grated, then squeezed dry, about 1 medium zucchini
• 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature, for frosting
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened, for frosting
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted, for frosting
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract for frosting
• 1 tbsp milk for frosting, plus more as needed

Equipment

• box grater or food processor with grater attachment
• clean kitchen towel
• large mixing bowl
• hand mixer or stand mixer
• baking sheets
• parchment paper
• wire cooling rack
• small offset spatula or butter knife

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
2. Grate the zucchini on the fine side of a box grater. Place the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You want it to feel almost dry. Too much moisture will make the cookies spread thin and gummy, so do not skip this step.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the mixture looks lighter in color and slightly fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until just combined.
5. Add the squeezed zucchini to the butter mixture and stir it in with a spatula. The dough may look a little lumpy, and that is fine.
6. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir gently until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix. The dough will be thicker than typical drop cookie dough but still scoopable.
7. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently press the tops down just slightly with your fingers to flatten them a bit, since these cookies do not spread much on their own.
8. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the tops look set and the edges are just barely golden. The cookies will still look soft in the center, and that is exactly right. Do not overbake or they will dry out. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. While the cookies cool, make the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter together in a bowl until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat on low until combined, then increase to medium speed for about 1 minute until the frosting is creamy and spreadable. If it is too thick, add a tiny bit more milk, a teaspoon at a time.
10. Once the cookies are completely cool, spread about a teaspoon of frosting on each one using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Cookies must be fully cooled before frosting or the cream cheese topping will melt and slide off. Store frosted cookies in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

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