Carrot Cake Cookies with Pineapple Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

• 1 tsp double-acting baking powder 
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda 
• 4 ounces butter 
• 0.8 cup carrots shredded dry
• 2 tsp cinnamon 
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 2  eggs 
• 2 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 cup brown sugar light
• 12 servings pecans chopped
• 0.5 cup pineapple dry crushed pressed drained
• 1 cup powdered sugar plus more if desired)
• 0.8 cup raisins 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Equipment

• baking sheet
• oven
• mixing bowl
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil.In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, then stir in carrots and raisins.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon) together, then add them to the creamed mixture, stirring just until mixed.Drop by rounded spoonfuls (if you have a medium cookie scoop, it works well) on to the sheets.
3. Sprinkle pecans over half of the cookies.
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Let cool on sheets for a while. When completely cool, sandwich 2 cookies together with the cream cheese filling. Use a pecan topped cookie for the top cookie.Beat the cream cheese, gradually adding the butter. Beat until smooth. Sift in sugar. Beat well.
6. Add pineapple and vanilla. Rub cream cheese frosting over the bottom of half of the cookies and use the remaining cookies to top the sandwiches.