Carrot Cookies with Orange Icing

These cookies date back to the Depression era, when carrots showed up in baked goods because they were cheaper than butter and could stretch a recipe. The carrots add moisture and a faint sweetness, and the cookies bake up soft and cake-like with a tender crumb that holds well for days.

Mashed cooked carrots are the move that distinguishes this from a grated-carrot cookie. The mash distributes evenly through the dough so you don’t bite into chunks of vegetable, and the warm orange icing on top provides the bright finish that ties everything together.

The icing technique is unusual and worth following exactly. Heat the orange juice and zest, add the margarine, pull off the stove just before it boils, then beat in powdered sugar until it reaches a heavy cream consistency. Frosting cool cookies immediately means the icing sets to a slight shine as it cools, like a glaze instead of a buttercream.

This is four-dozen cookie territory, which makes it the right recipe for a cookie tray, a school bake sale, or a covered-dish supper.

Kitchen Tips

• Boil and drain the carrots well, then mash to a smooth pure. Watery carrots make watery dough.
• Use the entire orange zest before juicing. The oil in the zest is where most of the citrus aroma lives.
• Beat the powdered sugar into the warm orange juice mixture gradually. Dumping it in causes lumps.
• Frost while the icing is still warm and pourable. Cold icing turns stiff and won’t spread cleanly.

Variations

• Add a half cup of raisins, chopped walnuts, or shredded coconut to the dough for extra texture.
• Stir a half teaspoon of cinnamon or grated nutmeg into the dry ingredients for warmth.
• Use lemon juice and zest in the icing instead of orange for a sharper citrus finish.