John Kanell's Carrot Cake Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set side. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in shredded carrots, oats, coconut and pecans, just until blended.
2. Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, for the Frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition. (Add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if desired, for a thinner consistency.) Reserve 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) frosting; set aside for decorating.
5. Spread tops of cookies evenly with remaining frosting (about 1 tablespoon each). To decorate cookies, tint 2 tablespoons of the reserved frosting green (1 drop Blue Food Color + 1 drop Yellow Food Color) and 6 tablespoons of the reserved frosting orange (2 drops Red + 6 drops Yellow Food Color). Transfer each color to a small piping bag fitted with desired decorating tip. Pipe carrots with green leaves on top of cookies, as desired.

Decorating Tips:

• To pipe the icing carrots, start with the thick top of the carrot and finish with the pointy part. Squeeze a bit more at first, then release and pull the tip away after you’ve stopped squeezing the piping bag. Then pipe little green leaves on top of the carrot, using a small leaf tip, if desired, or simply snip the tip off your piping bag and decorate away!
• To pipe bunny faces instead of carrots, you'll want to tint about 4 tablespoons of the reserved icing for the bunny fur. (Shown here in gray but use your favorite Easter color!) Tint about 2 tablespoons of the remaining icing your desired shade of pink, use a toothpick to add a tiny amount of red color to the frosting until you reach the desired shade. Transfer tinted icing to piping bags. Place remaining 2 tablespoons white icing in piping bag, as well. To draw bunnies, start by making a circle for the head, filling in completely. Then draw on the ears. Use white icing to draw circles for the cheeks. Use pink icing to fill in the ears and dot with a bunny nose. Confetti sprinkles are perfect for the eyes.