Breakfast Carrot Muffins

I found a few carrot bread recipes and altered them to create these Breakfast Carrot Muffins.  What a yummy breakfast!  Sweet, spicy, moist and pretty.  I make no claims on their healthiness.  Perfect to grab on the go or a cute complement to your breakfast plate.  I also added a bunch of holiday spices because it is the holidays after all and, as a result, those spices are always out on my counter.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
fresh zest of one orange
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (although I think next time I'll add more)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter or spray the muffin pan.  (When they're done, taking them out takes a little shimmying and leaves a bit of clean up but I prefer that to the cupcake liner look.  I already have enough difficulty convincing people that these aren't for dessert!) 

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugars until smooth.  Add the oil in increments and beat at high speed about 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla and orange zest.  Fold in the shredded carrots.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat on low just until mixed.  Divide into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan.  Enjoy!

Gingersnap Cookies

While I love my Carrot Challenge, I also love to make desserts.  I tried this amazing recipe the other week and had to share them.  Woot woot for yummy yummy Gingersnap Cookies!  I took a few very small liberties with this recipe, but it turned out deliciously.  I actually made them for my boyfriend's Christmas party but he had one and said they were so good, he didn't want to share them!  So I made the carrot cookies for him instead (see "Upgrade Project: Carrot Cookies").

So, my liberties: I tossed in a bit more ginger and cinnamon than it requested and a pinch each of nutmeg, cloves and even a bit of allspice.  I also didn't have molasses so I made a thickened honey to replace it.  I just heated up a teflon pan, poured in honey and brown sugar, mixed it up, and let it cool.  Once it cools, it should be a thickly flowing sugary mass. 

What I don't get is how these cookies were supposed to be "snappy."  Although I highly recommend them soft and as directed, if you want the traditional crispiness then you'll probably have to flatten 1/2" balls of dough to promote the slim cookie form.  These cookies went so quickly, but next time I think I'll try and make them a bit spicier, with black pepper and cayenne pepper to add a little extra adult kick.

Cheese & Carrot Biscuits... For Humans!

Continuing on with the carrot marathon, with everything I make I'm always thinking of how to incorporate carrots.  I was sick last week so everything I ate tasted like nothing and, of course, that's when I get cravings for the unhealthiest food, so desperate am I to get some flavor through my lips.  Finally I felt well enough to make fried chicken and what goes better with fried chicken than biscuits?  Yum!

So I searched for a Carrot & Cheese Biscuits recipe.  Apparently, it's a very popular doggie treat.  I couldn't find a recipe for human consumption!  That was kind of embarrassing-- was my experimental concoction too weird for people to eat?

I decided just to add carrots to a good biscuits recipe instead.  I found this Gastronomer Blog recipe and thought it was simple enough since it doesn't require buttermilk (which I don't stock) or shortening (which I'd run out of).  Gastronomer's post was an attempt to uncover the secret to Jim 'N Nick's Cheese Biscuits.  According to others, I don't think he succeeded but having never had them, I think these are quite tasty anyway.  I simply added one cup of grated carrots.  I slightly steamed them too, just because I happened to be simmering a pot of stock nearby.  Instead of using milk, which I rarely keep, I used rice milk which I believe made them a bit sweeter but possibly rise a little less.  That didn't bother me too much though, because I didn't have my muffin pan at the time either and just laid globs of dough on aluminum foil.  Looks aren't what I'm going for; taste is. 

Wow it was delicious.  Like, wow.  The small pieces of carrot added such a crunch and extra sweetness, so much that they could have been dessert.  They pop while you chew, much like corn.  Maybe I'll add cooked corn to the batter next time too and lower the sugar a bit.  I really recommend this special colorful crunchy twist!  My boyfriend kept repeating how good they were and his bread:meat ratio was way off.  Hey, more chicken for me!

Upgrade Project: Carrot Cookies

I found this Carrot Cookie recipe and decided to try it.  The texture of the cookie is simply amazing and so soft (which I suppose is the reason for such high ratings), but it tastes like absolutely nothing.  It is the perfect example of a misleading rating system.  I have included it here however because I felt it deserves some attention for its texture.  The cup of shortening makes all the difference (I used Earth Balance's Vegan Shortening).  It was my first time using shortening for cookies and I'll definitely try it again... just not with this recipe!  Here is how I upgraded the poor unwanted dough to make something a little more tasty:

I kept adding more stuff to it and baking the new variations in separate batches.  I ended up with about 5 different sets of 10 cookies.  First I doubled the sugar.  That didn't make much of a difference.  Then I added chocolate chips and raisins.  Yummy, but not enough unless I wanted to use all my chocolate chips to add enough flavor.  Then came crushed walnuts.  Better...  Then a dusting of sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon over the cookie before baking.

My boyfriend took them to a holiday party and they went pretty quickly, he said, but I'm sure the presence of alcohol had a part in the good reviews he received.  They were okay, but more because of the texture and how interesting they looked.  When using chocolate chips, I put 3/4 in the dough and keep 1/4 separately.  Then when I make my dough balls, I'll plop 4-5 chips per cookie so they stay on top and make polka dots.

Carrot Cake

I broke my mixer the other day, so new recipes have been slow-coming.  This Carrot Cake is from The Gardener's Table, my bible book of the cycle of gardening, cooking and composting.  I love it.  Here is the recipe. 

Side note: I did not make two layers of cake-- I just sliced one layer through the middle and halved my icing, so my cake is only half of what this recipe produces. 

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Icing: blend together 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and milk, as needed.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease, flour and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
2.  In a large bowl, combine the oil and sugar.  Beat in the eggs until well blended, about 1 minute.  Combine the dry ingredients together and add to the oil mixture.  Mix until incorporated and add the carrots, raisins and walnuts.  Mix again.
3.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until springy to the touch.  While cakes cool, make the icing.  Beat until light and fluffy and spreadable.
4.  Depan when cakes are cool, then freeze the layers.  After 30 minutes, remove layers from freezer and, if necessary, level the tops by trimming with a large, serrated knife. 
5.  Lay one layer, leveled side up, on a large dish.  Spread top with 1 cup icing and place the other layer, cut-side down, on top.  Skim coat the entire cake with a very thin layer of the cream cheese icing.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the icing harden.
6.  Ice the rest of the cake.  It will last for 3 days in the fridge.

This is a very moist cake, with a perfect balance of delicious icing, raisins, carrots and nuts.  Enjoy!

Moroccan Carrot Dip

This Moroccan Carrot Dip sounded especially interesting after I kept browsing through the same old carrot recipes over and over online.  The best part?  All you really need is carrots.  Of course there are other ingredients, but they are all things which you should have.   My "Stocking Up" guide, which I'm currently working on, will offer a list of everything that I keep ready at the helm.  Cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika and ground ginger?  Red wine vinegar, olive oil and garlic?  I've got all of that almost on a continual basis.  Trust me, they come in handy and there is little risk of any of these ingredients expiring.  Because of that, this recipe is a cinch!

It's quite delicious too.  It has a slight sourness from the vinegar but the spices and olive oil really balance it out.  A similar recipe I found includes chili paste instead of the paprika and cayenne pepper.  I imagine that's a bit spicier than what this recipe produces.  I didn't find the olives too necessary, but I had them from a previous olive hummus, so I added them in.  There were more chips but my boyfriend ate half the plate before I could take a picture.  It, along with my Spiced Carrot Dip, also works well as a spread.

Curried Carrot Soup (Rachel Ray)

I struggled to find a tasty carrot soup, making three different recipe versions before I decided to try Rachel Ray's Curried Carrot Soup.  It's a winner!

Her recipe describes how to decorate it as a spider web, probably to attract children.  However, I think the curry makes it quite spicy so do a taste check before the children have at it.  On the other hand, the curry adds a nice spice and warmth to the throat and tummy, perfect for a cold night, which it certainly is now!  The sour cream is a great last touch, but it's also not totally necessary so don't sweat running to the store for it. 

Rachel Ray hasn't failed me yet.  I'm so glad her recipe was a success!  I hope you like it too :)