 |  |  |
 baking pan method |  thick, sticky dough |  spread & smooth w damp spoon |  after 1st bale |
 Cool & cut in half |  1" slices |  flip on sides for 2nd bake |  after 2nd bake |
 orange chocolate ~ melt and drizzle over original orange chocolate coating |  dipped & drizzled ~ let set a few minutes |  carefully pick up & put on clean wax paper to harden |  pipe green leaves w decorator icing |  |
This was a "I wonder if this will work" idea that I had ... using real finely grated carrots and finely chopped pecans in the dough for these double-baked cookies. I also experimented with a different way of baking them (in a rimmed pan, rather than a log on a sheet pan ~ trying to get the individual biscotti more uniform in size). I think they came out pretty cute ~ with white chocolate ganache (tinted orange with a couple of drops of orange extract) and then some piped on green leaves.
Note that they're "bumpy" and irregular in size (just like real carrots would be) because of the carrots and pecans in there. Baking should be fun, so unless you're a professional pastry chef, don't take yourself too seriously! I don't even pretend to be a "chef", but my family and friends always love everything I make because it's made with love (and usually different from what everyone else makes).
CARROT CAKE BISCOTTI ~ Orange Chocolate Glaze ~ Green leaves
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar…………………..1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil……………………………….2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour…………………….1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder…………...……………2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt…………………………………….1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped……………1/2 tsp. dried orange peel
DRIZZLE:
About 12 oz. white chocolate to melt (wafers, bark, chips) with about 1 TB Crisco.
Orange food color
Green decorator icing (in tube w/ leaf tip)
***
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Get out your baking sheet & set aside.
TIP: Do your nuts in the food processor first & put in small bowl. Then shred your carrots (may need to pulse after they’re shredded).If necessary, put them onto paper towels and blot them dry. Extra can be kept in covered container in refrigerator to use in another recipe.
Beat olive oil and both sugars in electric mixer on medium speed, until well mixed I1-2 min) ~. Add in eggsl and vanilla ~ beat together until well mixed.
Add the baking powder, spices, salt and gradually beat them in. Then gradually beat the flour & cornstarch in. Fold in the grated carrots and nuts with rubber scraper ~ bring the dough together with your hands. (The dough should be able to hold together but may be be slightly sticky.)
Scoop the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Dust with a little flour & roll out into a 10×6” rectangle. Carefully lift the parchment paper and put it all on your baking sheet. TIP: If you have a rimmed baking sheet about 10x6”, then you can just line it with parchment paper and put the dough on the paper ~ using the back of a dampened spoon to smooth out the top and into the corners).
Bake about 20-23 minutes, until barely brown. Let them cool about 5-8 minutes. Then use a long serrated knife to cut into about 3/4" slices, across the loaf. Flip them on their sides and bake another 12-18 minutes. If you didn’t get the dough even, then some biscotti may be less “baked” than others, so may need longer 2nd bake. Use the 2nd bake to correct any under-baking from the 1st bake. (TIP: If you made them in the pan ~ cut across the center lengthwise ~ then in slices about 1” wide.) Let cool completely.
GLAZE: Melt the white chocolate w/ Crisco about 40 sec. in microwave ~ whisk to smooth out. If necessary, can add a little more Crisco and microwave another 10-15 seconds. Then whisk in orange (or 1 drop each red & yellow) food coloring. I put it in a flat bowl/saucer, so I could lay each biscotti about 2/3 into the orange chocolate ~ then onto rack/paper to dry. I pipe leaves on with green decorator icing.
NOTE: Because you have somewhat “wet” and bumpy carrots plus bits of nuts in there, these will be “bumpier” on the outside than other biscotti. But a real carrot isn’t smooth either, so that’s fine (and the orange chocolate will cover most “oops” too)
Note that they're "bumpy" and irregular in size (just like real carrots would be) because of the carrots and pecans in there. Baking should be fun, so unless you're a professional pastry chef, don't take yourself too seriously! I don't even pretend to be a "chef", but my family and friends always love everything I make because it's made with love (and usually different from what everyone else makes).
CARROT CAKE BISCOTTI ~ Orange Chocolate Glaze ~ Green leaves
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar…………………..1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil……………………………….2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour…………………….1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder…………...……………2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt…………………………………….1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped……………1/2 tsp. dried orange peel
DRIZZLE:
About 12 oz. white chocolate to melt (wafers, bark, chips) with about 1 TB Crisco.
Orange food color
Green decorator icing (in tube w/ leaf tip)
***
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Get out your baking sheet & set aside.
TIP: Do your nuts in the food processor first & put in small bowl. Then shred your carrots (may need to pulse after they’re shredded).If necessary, put them onto paper towels and blot them dry. Extra can be kept in covered container in refrigerator to use in another recipe.
Beat olive oil and both sugars in electric mixer on medium speed, until well mixed I1-2 min) ~. Add in eggsl and vanilla ~ beat together until well mixed.
Add the baking powder, spices, salt and gradually beat them in. Then gradually beat the flour & cornstarch in. Fold in the grated carrots and nuts with rubber scraper ~ bring the dough together with your hands. (The dough should be able to hold together but may be be slightly sticky.)
Scoop the dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Dust with a little flour & roll out into a 10×6” rectangle. Carefully lift the parchment paper and put it all on your baking sheet. TIP: If you have a rimmed baking sheet about 10x6”, then you can just line it with parchment paper and put the dough on the paper ~ using the back of a dampened spoon to smooth out the top and into the corners).
Bake about 20-23 minutes, until barely brown. Let them cool about 5-8 minutes. Then use a long serrated knife to cut into about 3/4" slices, across the loaf. Flip them on their sides and bake another 12-18 minutes. If you didn’t get the dough even, then some biscotti may be less “baked” than others, so may need longer 2nd bake. Use the 2nd bake to correct any under-baking from the 1st bake. (TIP: If you made them in the pan ~ cut across the center lengthwise ~ then in slices about 1” wide.) Let cool completely.
GLAZE: Melt the white chocolate w/ Crisco about 40 sec. in microwave ~ whisk to smooth out. If necessary, can add a little more Crisco and microwave another 10-15 seconds. Then whisk in orange (or 1 drop each red & yellow) food coloring. I put it in a flat bowl/saucer, so I could lay each biscotti about 2/3 into the orange chocolate ~ then onto rack/paper to dry. I pipe leaves on with green decorator icing.
NOTE: Because you have somewhat “wet” and bumpy carrots plus bits of nuts in there, these will be “bumpier” on the outside than other biscotti. But a real carrot isn’t smooth either, so that’s fine (and the orange chocolate will cover most “oops” too)
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