I prefer cooking as opposed to baking.  Maybe it’s because I like savory flavors better than sweet ones.  I’ll take a Negroni over a Cosmo any day; I love black olives marinated until their little skins shrivel; I love radicchio and fennel, Brussels sprouts, cipollini and dark chocolate.  I think I have a “bitter tooth,” if one exists.  Does it?

Bitter is actually better for you.  Can you name a bitter food that’s processed?  Bitter flavors come from phytonutrients ,and while the food industry has, for years and years, tried to remove bitter flavors from what we eat, a creative cook can make the most of bitter flavors.  Just ask any chef …

But bitter foods are not what I wanted to write about today; I really do want to talk about sweets, especially since I’ve been up to my elbows in pastry all week (see companion photo of yours truly, icing sugar cookies).

I always begin my holiday baking a week before Christmas.  This gives me confidence my baked goods will be fresh, and it allows me enough time to prepare the assortment of goodies I usually like to have on hand.  Of course, I bake the decadent Christmas cookies that are a tradition in my family like zeppole, sfogliatelle and the classic sugar and drop cookies, but I do bake some healthier options to save myself – and my guests – a few extra calories.

So, for your enjoyment and guilt-free pleasure, I give you my recipe for Iced Carrot Almond Cookies …

Iced Carrot Almond Cookies

Yield:  40 cookies

FOR THE COOKIES:
¾ c sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1 ¾ c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1 cup finely shredded carrots (about three small ones)
½ sliced almonds, lightly toasted
½ cup dark raisins (you can also try chopped, dried cherries, apricots or dates or a blend of two fruits)

FOR THE ICING:
1 cup powered sugar
1 t grated orange peel
3 – 4 t orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl or mixer, beat together sugar and margarine until fluffy.
3. Gradually add vanilla and egg and blend well.
4. Stir in flour and baking powder and mix well.
5. Stir in carrots, nuts and raisins.
6. Drop mixture by the teaspoonful onto an un-greased, non-stick cookie sheet; leave about two inches between each cookie.
7. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are a golden color.
8. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool.
9. In a small bowl, prepare icing by mixing all ingredients together EXCEPT the orange juice.
10. Add the orange juice to the frosting, one teaspoon at a time, until the frosting consistency is similar to pancake syrup.
11. When cookies are completely cooled, either drizzle the frosting over the cookie or glaze the cookie with a pastry bag, so each looks like a snow-capped mountain!

They are best eaten a day after baking, when the icing has “set.”  I love these with a cup of white tea.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER COOKIE:
Calories:  80
Fat: 3g
Protein:  1g
Carbohydrates: 12g
Cholesterol: 5g