Carrot Cake Mix Cookies {With Craisins and a Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle}

Source: inspired by my grandma's chocolate cake mix cookie recipe and bettycrocker.com (and the frosting came from this spectacular cake - it's my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe now-days)

Ingredients:
for the cookies:
1 carrot cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup oats
2 eggs
1 cup craisins

for the cream cheese frosting drizzle:
4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
~1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon heavy cream (I used 1% milk instead, and while the recipe author said it would be less creamy than cream, I thought it was divinely creamy)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt (I skipped this because I had salted butter)

Directions:

For the cookies, mix all ingredients together.  Roll into 1 in. balls and place on cookie sheet.  Bake 9-11 minutes at 350°.

While the cookies are baking, mix up the frosting.  First, using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream (or milk), vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes.  Add more cream (or milk) to thin out, if desired.

When cookies have cooled, drizzle cream cheese frosting in zig-zag pattern across tops of cookies (I used a piping bag with a small tip).  Serve and feel like a cookie-making rock star!

Notes:

I needed to bring some cookies to my ward's Watch-the-General-Women's-Session-Get-Together in March.  I also knew I would be moving soon and was thinking about how to use up some of the things in my cupboards so I wouldn't have to pack them.  One of those things was a carrot cake mix.  I had made my grandma's cake mix cookies dozens of times (using a German chocolate cake mix) but had never attempted the same technique on another flavor of boxed cake mix.  So I got brave.  But first I did some googling to see if my idea was totally off base.  Turns out it wasn't.  Betty Crocker did basically the same thing.  Plus, she added craisins and cream cheese frosting which I thought was brilliant.  So I went for it.  These little goodies were the star of the cookie line-up that evening, I must say.  Pretty dang good.  And simple to boot!  Win-win in my book.