Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies [RECIPE]

Does carrot cake get your mouth watering? Then these cookies are just what the doctor ordered! (Photo by Marcus Nilsson)

We’re always excited when we get to introduce you to great new cookbooks with out-of-this-world recipes. Since this is the time of year when lots of families get together to bake cookies, we knew you’d be thrilled to receive several new recipes this week, selected just for you, and all from the beautiful new volume, Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection. We’ve tested several recipes from this book already, and simply can’t say enough good things about it! So stay tuned all this week and discover recipes we know you won’t be able to wait to bake up in your own kitchen. To kick things off, here’s Martha’s Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies. Enjoy! —J&H

We’re just crazy about a delicious carrot cake when done right. In this decadent recipe, the bakers in Martha Stewart’s kitchens went all out and turned this beloved dessert into something extra special. Just imagine grated carrots, chopped pecans, plump golden raisins, and rolled oats combined in one yummy cookie. As if that isn’t enough to make you go racing for the kitchen, they also turned the traditional cream cheese frosting into a creamy filling made with goat cheese and swirled together with apricot jam. Yum!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons, room temperature, for filling
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup packed finely grated carrots (about 3 medium)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped
• 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons apricot jam

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown and granulated sugars, and egg yolk. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture to combine. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Scoop dough and roll 11/2‑inch balls; then roll balls in pecans to coat. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and press an indentation into center of each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon. Continue to bake until golden brown on bottom, 10 to 12 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
4. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat remaining 4 tablespoons butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in goat cheese until just combined. Swirl in jam. Pipe or spoon goat-cheese mixture into center. (Cookies can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days.)

YIELD: 18 cookies

Clarkson Potter

ABOUT MARTHA STEWART’S COOKIE PERFECTION

The editors of Martha Stewart Living present a new, fun source for anyone looking to make their go-to cookies even better and bolder.

These recipes make ordinary cookies absolutely extraordinary–all the familiar favorites you love, but taken up a notch in variety, flavor, and creativity.

Classic recipes discover new life with unexpected twists such as Brown-Butter Crinkle Cookies and Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies. Go over-the-top in super-sized fashion with Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies; get inspired by cultures around the globe with Brazilian Wedding Cookies and Stroopwafels; and celebrate with beautifully decorated holiday treats, such as Easter Egg Puzzle Cookies and Snowball Truffles.

Whether for a special celebration or a sweet anytime-treat, you’ll be sure to find inspiration to trade in your everyday cookies for versions far more special—and especially delicious.

Martha Stewart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martha Stewart is America’s most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher and the author of more than 90 books on cooking, entertaining, crafts, homekeeping, gardens, weddings, and decorating.

To find out more, visit MarthaStewart.com, like her on Facebook, subscribe to her on YouTube, and follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

MARTHA STEWART’S COOKIE PERFECTION
From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living
256 pp. Clarkson Potter. $26.

Purchase Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, IndieBound, and Powell’s.

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection.
Copyright © 2019 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
Photograph copyright © 2019 by Marcus Nilsson.
Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.