Carrot Cookies with Orange Icing -- AND MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!!

I have a confession: I felt like a really bad nutritional influence after the last tempting, tasty recipe.

So to make amends for my dietary temptation, I give you a new recipe.  With carrots.  I know, it's a cookie recipe, but it's got carrots in it so it's healthy.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

Annnndddd....I'm having my first giveaway!!! I'm so excited.  This recipe uses one of my most favorite tools.  I have fallen so madly, deeply and passionately in love with this thing that I have to share one with you.  Stick with me to the end to find out how you can enter the contest.

First, though, the health food cookies.  This was a little newspaper clipping in my mom's cookbook.  I'm not sure if she ever made them, but I'm betting she did when I was younger in an effort to get me to eat carrots.  Celery I could eat until the cows came home; but carrots and I were not friends.  You'll be happy to know that we rediscovered each other later in life and are now good buds.

Chances are, you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now:

Butter, sugar, an egg, carrots, flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, and an orange.

Start by boiling your carrots in water.  I used baby carrots (because I have a bulldog who loves carrots...and who isn't known for her chewing prowess), but you can peel and cut normal carrots into smaller pieces.

When you can smoosh one against the side of the pan, take them off of the heat and drain.  Give 'em a good mashing.

Next cream your butter and sugar. 

Add an egg and mix well.

Next, sift together your flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add half of it to the butter mixture.

Then add half of your carrots.  Repeat with the remaining flour and carrot halves.

When it's all combined, scoop out onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake them at 350 for 15 minutes.

They'll come out looking like this...delish!


While they're cooling, you can whip up a the quick icing.  We're going to make a mouth-watering orange icing.  For the best flavor, you'll want to harvest the zest from an orange.  All of the flavorful, fragrant oils live in the zest--zest is your friend.  The white pith part, however, is not.  This is where one of my favorite tools comes in...

It's called a microplane and it takes the finest layer of zest off of citrus fruits. It's also hand for grating nutmeg, hard cheeses and coconut. It's sharp and easy to use. And it comes in several beautiful colors now.

It gave me beautiful orange zest for my icing.

After you zest your orange, go ahead and juice it as well.

In a bowl, combine your powdered sugar and zest.

Add the orange juice, a little at a time, until your icing is the consistency you like.  It doesn't take much juice, so go slow!

After sampling your icing (quality control, now!) smear it on your cooled cookies and you're ready for a taste treat.  The cookies have a great texture and aren't overly sweet. The orange icing gives it a nice balance.  I think they'd be wonderful with a steaming cup of tea; and probably coffee, too.  You'll have to let me know on that one.  Plus...you're eating carrots!!!  Health food.  It's important.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Icing

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed carrots
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
orange zest
orange juice

Boil peeled and cut carrots until soft.  Mash.  Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg until well blended.  Sift together fklour, baking powder and salt.  Add alternately with carrots to the butter mixture.  Scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!


AND NOW THE GIVEAWAY!!!

One lucky reader (hey your odds are good...I don't have that many readers!!) will receive a microplane of their choice.  You can choose from the plain plane (ha!) or select the one with your favorite color grip.

Here's how to enter:

Leave a comment and tell me what YOUR favorite kitchen tool is.  Is it your kitchen-aid mixer?  Grandma's wooden spoon?  Take-out on speed dial?  I love reading your comments...I'm looking forward to this! 

*Please make sure that you leave your email address so that I can contact the winner or be sure to check back on Saturday morning to see if you need to email me!  This contest will run through Friday evening and the winner will be randomly drawn and posted Saturday morning.  Good luck!*