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Paradise and Pennant Candied Fruit

Carrot Cookies

Give your cut-out sugar cookie recipe a spring makeover by adding candied orange peel and orange
extract. Use carrot, rabbit and egg cookie cutters to create the perfect treat for an Easter gathering, but don’t stop there. These cookies are also wonderful for baby showers, graduation parties, and other celebratory events.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 – 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4oz. cup candied orange peel

Frosting (Recipe Follows)

Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy; beat in sugar. Mix in eggs and orange extract. Mix in combined flour, baking powder and salt alternately with milk. Mix in chopped candied Orange Peel. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Roll dough on floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness or as needed with your cookie cutter design. Cut out cookies using carrot, bunny, egg, flower or any Easter cookie cutters you have on hand.

Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets in pre-heated 350 degree oven until just beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes.

Make frosting, divide and tint with various food coloring as needed. Use a pastry bag with various tips for decorating.

Makes 4 ½ to 5 dozen cookies – depending on the size of your cookie cutters, ours were approximately 3″ – 4″ in size

Frosting (We had to double this for the amount of cookies we yielded)

• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• ¾ cups shortening or butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk

Mix sugar, shortening or butter, vanilla and enough milk to make desired consistency. Frosting must be firm enough to hold a shape when piped through a pastry tip. If frosting is too thin, beat in a little more sugar; if frosting is too thick, beat in milk, adding a few drops at a time.

Tips: You can also frost these cookies using a knife if you do not have pastry bags and tips. We used various sprinkles for decorating. You can use any of your leftover candied fruit in place of the orange peel.