Ny Times Carrot Cookies With Orange Icing

This recipe is from The New York Times Jewish Cookbook. When my family asked what was baking, their reaction to the idea of carrot cookies was decidedly unenthusiastic. However, after tasting the cookies, their opinion greatly improved and the cookies quickly disappeared! I veganized the recipe by omitting the egg and using Ener-G egg replacer, and no one guessed they were vegan. They are a cakey cookie with bits of carrot throughout, quite colorful and tasty.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Yields: 30-36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1  cup shortening (I subbed about 1/3 cup applesauce for some)
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  egg
• 1  cup carrot, cooked then mashed
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2  cups flour
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
•  orange  icing
• 1⁄4 cup  orange juice
• 1  tablespoon  grated  orange rind
•  confectioners' sugar

• optional

•  bit of cinnamon in  icing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg.
4. Mix in carrot and vanilla.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and stir into the batter.
6. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until done. (I convection baked at 333 degrees for about 14 minutes.).
7. Cool on a wire rack and then spread with Orange Icing.
8. To make icing: Combine orange juice, orange rind, cinnamon if using, and enough powdered sugar to make a spreading consistency. You will likely end up with more icing than needed, so you might want to start with less than 1/4 cup juice. Spread frosting over cookies. Any extra icing is good on graham crackers.
9. I stored my cookies in the refrigerator, as it is quite warm where I live and the icing runs.