Tuesday, August 3, 2010

TWD: Ginger Carrot Cookies

When I first saw this week's choice for Tuesdays with Dorie, I was somewhat dismayed.

Carrots?

Raisins?

Coconut?

In cookies?

Who is going to eat these in this household?

Maybe I'll pass.


But then, I stopped and had a very stern talking to myself.

Why are you participating in this baking group? Isn't one of the main reasons to push your boundaries, bake outside of the box, extend your comfort zone? Maybe bake something you wouldn't ordinarily choose and find that you like it?




Why yes.

So, that is what I did.


I finely shredded the carrots, using an attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. It makes quick, quick work when shredding or grating substantial amounts of vegetables.

Then I substituted currants for raisins. To me, currants are like dainty raisins. They're subtly present, but they don't smack you in the face.

The pecans were chopped and toasted, and just a smidgen of coconut was tossed in.


I couldn't decide which size of scoop to use, so I opted for the smaller one, and ended up with 5 dozen cookies, plus a few extras, which were immediately consumed for testing purposes. I also kept a watch on the baking times since these were smaller cookies, and removed them when they matched Dorie's description for doneness.


While I'm not a fan of carrot cake, I did find that I really liked these cookies. They were cake-like in texture, which I love, and the toasted pecans added a most delicious flavor. The carrots, coconut, and currants (the 3 Cs) contributed a moistness and some texture. I do like a bit of chew to my cookies; thin, flat ones leave me unsatisfied.


Thanks goes to Natalia of
gatti fili e farina for pushing me out of my cookie comfort zone. These were a hit and will definitely be made again. Next time, though, I will add more ginger since it was barely noticeable. You can find the recipe on Natalia's blog.


Be sure and stop by the TWD blog and read about the other bakers' opinions.




P.S. The coconut*currant/raisin*cooked carrot-hating daughter actually said the cookies were tasty, although I doubt she will eat any more than the two she consumed. Good sport. Welcome home from Alaska.


18 comments:

Nickki said...

My youngest son also enjoyed these cookies, despite the fact he hates coconut :-) That is testament to a great recipe!

Hindy said...

Five dozen! They must be little button cookie which, in my house, might actually have made them disappear quicker.
Yours look delicious!

Peggy said...

So glad you decided to bake along this week and that at least you didn't hate them! I'm not a huge fan of carrot cake either. Thought I was the only one in the world that didn't love it. Your cookies look delicious.

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I used the smaller scoop also and had lots of cookies and I made only half of the recipe.

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

My raisin hating daughter tried these as well but couldn't get over the raisins. Not a hit with her. :) Cute pictures!

Flourchild said...

Im glad you ended up baking them and liking them too! they look good!

Tia said...

yay for pushing the comfort zone limits :) nice job.

Engineer Baker said...

It is what makes this baking group great, isn't it? I agree with you on currants though - much more subtle than raisins. Glad they were a winner in your house!

Kayte said...

That's a lot of cookies...I must have used the bigger scoop as I got 16 for half a recipe. I had to make them twice as the guys erased the food photos from the memory card when they were taking photos of Matt's birthday. I said, "You can erase all the food photos except the carrot cookies." All they heard was "carrots" so I was busy making these again this morning. Fortunately, they are a hit around here. Happy to hear you liked them and they look like mine, except for the little less coconut you used...LOL!

natalia said...

Ciao Judy ! Thank you for joining me this week ! I'm so glad you tried and you liked them ! I agree with you on the group !!!

TeaLady said...

I got 37 cookies and a small 'pie' out of the mix.

These were in my comfort zone, but not in my taste zone.

Mary said...

Glad you enjoyed them, despite your reservations! I liked them too, just in slightly different form.

Nicole said...

These were surprising cookies and I wasn't sure but they were really good. I'm glad your daughter liked them too.

Paula said...

Your substitution of currants for raisins is an interesting idea. Do you always do that? I'll have to keep that in mind. Guess they taste about the same, right?

These surprised me too. Ate way too many!

Becky @ Project Domestication said...

everyone that tried them loved these. i agree...i love having TWD to push my boundaries.

Liz said...

I agree, this is something I wouldn't normally make either. But here's the great part about weird carrot cookies: you can convince yourself that they're healthy. Vegetables! It's practially like eating a salad! Riiiight...

mike said...

SO glad you made them - I loved them and thought they were so different! Definitely would have passed them up in the book though! Love them with the raw carrots in the photos!

Pam said...

They look great and I bet they are delicious with the great combo of ingredients! I'm new here and really like your blog, Coco too!