Okay, so most people hear carrot cookies and think one of two things: Why would I want vegetables in my dessert, or Hey, vegetables in my dessert! I can skip the salad! All jokes aside, these are my favorite cookies of all time, mainly because they’re uncommon, and they are time-consuming. (Time-consuming things usually taste better for some reason…) It is a mash-up of two recipes, one from my Mimi, and the other from a Stir-Ups cookbook. One last note, the carrots make the cookies really moist, and the cookies have more of a citrus flavor than anything, so don’t fear the vegetable!
Ingredients
1 C. Sugar
2/3 C. Shortening
1 egg
1 C. cooked, mashed carrots
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 ¼ C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon flavoring
4 Tbsp. Orange juice
Start by cooking the carrots, adding a dash of salt to the water. Cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and mix well. Add carrots and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to sugar mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper, actually.) Bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes.
Icing
2 C. (or more) sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp. orange rind, grated
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 Tbsp to ½ C. Orange juice*
½ tsp. lemon flavoring
Cream all ingredients. Spread frosting on cooled cookies.
*Add orange juice until it reaches desired consistency.
Recipe Notes
-The orange juice can either be freshly squeezed, or store-bought, we haven’t noticed any difference. Using the freshly squeezed juice makes it easier for the orange rind for the icing. However, if you take that path, I recommend grating the orange rind before juicing it, because it becomes a bit tricky if done in reverse.
-Also, the icing has one of those look-and-see type recipes that really just depend on how it looks, and how thick/thin you want it. The powdered sugar and OJ are used in proportion to one another. Or, if you want to skip the hassle of making the icing, you can just 86 it and serve the cookies plain, which isn’t bad, either!
Makes about 2-2 1/2 dozen
Amanda, I love the way this is written. You must have shed some of your stress because this is wonderful and I am going to make some the next time the kids come to the farm! Keep writing.
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