- quick recipe of the week -

Two weeks in a row with some good dessert recipes! Last week was the patriotic apple pie, and this week, carrot cookies from Christa over at The Cox Family Blog, Young and Restless. Christa is a busy 22 year old wifey for 3 1/2 years and a mother to an an adorable 2 year old. She works two days a week at a care center for elderly and disabled and also babysits 3 little girls, five days a week. She also does some photography on the side as a third job! What you will find over at her blog is her every day life...her struggles with miscarriages, hypothyroidism, tantrums, and weight loss...her joys and fun things they do as a family. You will get nothing but open honesty from her! That's my kind of blog!

Christa picked this recipe to share because a big part of her trying to lose weight is eating healthy! But everyone needs their cheat days right? How depressing would life be with out the un-healthy stuff? So this is a "healthier" unhealthy cookie as she likes to call it. Hope you enjoy!

Carrot Cookies
1 cup shortening (half butter or margarine)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup carrots (cooked and mashed)
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsps salt
1 tsp orange juice
2 tsps orange rind
1 cup nuts (optional)

Cream together the shortening and the sugar. Add the egg and the carrots. Beat well. Add the remaing ingredients and mix. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
To make icing, combine grated rind from 1 orange, juice of 1/2 an orange, and powdered sugar until you reach a spreading consistency.

These cookies sound so good! And they do have fresh veggies and fruit in them! So they have to be "somewhat" healthy right? Thanks Christa!

(Image credit Christa)

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