Carrot Cake Cookies With Orange-Cream Cheese Icing

1. 1

   Chop carrots and place in boiling water. Let the carrots cook until they're soft, then blend in a food processor.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening with the sugars until completely smooth and slightly fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract and orange zest and blend thoroughly. Add the mashed and processed carrots, blend until fully incorporated.

3. 3

   In a different bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the shortening-carrot mixture, stir to combine.

4. 4

   Fold in the pecans, raisins and chocolate chips. Using an ice cream scoop, turn mounds of cookie dough out onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

5. 5

   Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, turn the pan, and bake for 7 more minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven, press on them lightly with the top of a spatula. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

6. 6

   In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk attachment on a mixer or immersion blender to combine the cream cheese, butter and extracts until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, and as needed, the heavy cream. The icing should be smoother and slightly thinner than a traditional cream cheese frosting.

7. 7

   Using a pastry bag or a handily re-purposed sandwich bag, pipe the icing as desired on the cooled cookies.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.