More fall recipes, coming your way!
My mom is a huge fan of carrot cake. Every now and again, I like a good slice myself. She puts things in it like raisins and pineapple, which add to the moisture of the cake. Some people are fussy about the ingredients in a carrot cake, but I tend to like all of the variations.
The variations in this cookie recipe are really delicious. What's the trick? It's the ground ginger mixed with the orange zest. It really makes these cookies pop. I took them to a church function and I had several women come up to me and ask about the recipe.
For my cookies, I iced half of them and left the rest without. I will say, the icing makes the cookies much sweeter, so if you have a sweet tooth, I encourage you to add the glaze (and be sure to let it dry completely). The women that loved the recipe ate the ones with icing.
What can I say? People love icing on their cookies!
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
1/2 c. organic non-hydrogenated shortening, like Spectrum
1/2 c. coconut sugar
1/4 c. organic cane sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder, aluminum-free
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 T. flax seed, ground
3 T. vanilla-infused bourbon (learn more about infusing liquor!)
1 tsp. orange zest
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. oats (old fashioned or quick)
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/2 c. pecans, chopped and toasted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a small glass, combine the flax seed and 3 tablespoons of vanilla bourbon and stir. Let that sit for 5 minutes. In the mean time, combine these ingredients in a bowl: baking soda, ginger, baking powder, salt, flour, and oats. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, sugars, and zest. Add in the shredded carrots and flax mixture. Slowly incorporate the dry mixture to the bowl. Stir in the pecans by hand.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the cookies onto your prepared baking sheets. These cookies do spread out a little, so keep that in mind. I pressed mine down a smidge to make them flatter. I was able to make about 18 cookies with this recipe, although it depends on what size you make them.
Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes.
For the cinnamon glaze: If you want to ice the cookies, mix powdered sugar (about a cup) and a teaspoon of cinnamon with a little bit of water until the consistency resembles thick Elmer's Glue. Slather the icing over the cookies, if desired. Allow the glaze to dry until it is hard to the touch. (If it doesn't get hard, you didn't add enough powdered sugar.)
Enjoy these cookies -- they're the perfect taste of fall!
Cheers,
-Aileen