Carrot Spice Thumbprint Cookies
Carrot cake is a family favorite, and these delicious cookies taste just like it, with all the ingredients you’d expect—including a rich cream cheese frosting. Who could resist? Susan Bickta, Kutztown, PA Prep: 30 min. • Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling • Makes: 5 dozen 1 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
¹ ₂ cup packed brown sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1¹ ₂ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder ³ ₄ tsp. salt ¹ ₂ tsp. baking soda ¹ ₈ tsp. ground cloves
1¹ ₂ cups shredded carrots ² ₃ cup chopped walnuts, toasted ¹ ₂ cup dried cranberries
FROSTING ¹ ₂ cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract Additional confectioners’ sugar
1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cloves; gradually beat into the creamed mixture. Stir in carrots, walnuts and cranberries.
2. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with the back of a ¹₂-tsp. measure.
3. Bake until edges begin to brown, 10-12 minutes. Reshape indentations as needed. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For frosting, beat butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until blended. To serve, fill each cookie with about 1¹₂ tsp. frosting; sprinkle with additional confectioners’ sugar. Refrigerate leftover filled cookies.
1 cookie: 167 cal., 9g fat (3g sat. fat), 17mg chol., 146mg sod., 21g carb. (14g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g pro.