Method (cream cheese filling)

1. Add the cream cheese into a bowl and whip until smooth and creamy, either in a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment or using a hand held electric whisk. 
2. Add in the flour and sugar and continue to whip until a thick paste. The texture should be firm enough you can grab balls of it to press inside the cookie dough, but not too hard. 
3. Set aside while you make the cookie dough.

Method (cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
2. Add the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip with a hand mixer or the stand mixer until light and creamy.
3. Add the vanilla and milk. Whip again until combined.
4. Sift in the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix until just combined.
5. Fold in the grated carrot.
6. Scoop the cookie dough into 6 balls using spoons or an ice-cream scoop. Sprinkle over some sugar (optional).
7. Make a hole in the middle of each cookie dough ball, and pipe / spoon in some of the cream cheese filling, and fold the cookie dough around to cover it.
8. Place the cookies on the lined tray (leave the dough in balls, don’t press them down!), leaving room in between as they will spread when baking.
9. Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly golden.
10. Once baked, remove the trays from the oven, use a round cookie cutter to help shape the cookies. Use the cookie cutter to scoot the cookies into a circle.
11. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray. While they’re cooling, make the frosting.

Method (cream cheese swirl)

1. Add the butter and cream cheese into a bowl and whip until smooth and creamy, either in a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment or using a hand held electric whisk. 
2. Add in the icing sugar and vanilla, whip until creamy. If it’s too thin or if it ever splits, add in some more chunks of butter. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle. Leave a few teaspoons of frosting in the bowl as this will be for the carrot decoration. 
3. Once the cookies are fully cool, pipe a swirl of the frosting on top of each cookie. Split the left over buttercream into two bowls, colour one green and the other orange. Transfer into a piping bag and snip off the tip. Pipe mini carrots on top of the cookies (watch the video tutorial here). Place into the fridge to chill and set.
4. Once set, serve and enjoy. You can even serve them with a sprinkle of some chopped walnuts.