Looking to lighten Martha (Carrot Cake Cookies)

[DMurray]

I bought a copy of Martha's Holiday Cookie issue yeaterday and am truly obsessing over this recipe. My question is, do you think that some of the butter could be replaced by say, applesauce (or pureed carrots) and the cookies would still come out right? I know this works great in breads, but I think these cookies need to be firm and I'm afraid to make too many substitutions. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Deb

* Exported from MasterCook *

Carrot Cake Cookies

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 36 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup brown sugar -- packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound butter -- (2 sticks)
2 eggs -- large
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 cups oats, rolled (raw)
1 1/2 cups carrots -- finely grated
1 cup raisins
Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese -- room temp
1/4 pound butter -- 1 stick
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pre heat oven to 350*, have ready 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. In an electric mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy-3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, soda, powder, salt and spices, stir to combine. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, mix on low speed until just blended. MIx in oats, carrots and raisins. Chill until firm, at least 1 hr.

Shape 1 tbsp dough into a ball and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake until browned and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, rotate halfway through. Cool on wire rack. Once completely cool, spread about 2 tsp filling onto a cookie, sandwich together with another cookie.
Store up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Filling
Place cream cheese in a med bowl, beat until smooth using a rubber spatula.Gradualy add butter and continue blending until smooth. Stir in sugar, beat until smooth. Mix in vanilla.

Description:
"Martha's Holiday 2001 book"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 201 Calories; 11g Fat (46.0% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 38mg Cholesterol; 167mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[rosen]

I truely understand your request....but if you changed the recipe to make them lower in fat....they would no longer BE Martha Stewart Cookies!! Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet & make a recipe the way it was ment to be. :) Only MHO you understand....I'm secretly hoping someone has a similar, lighter version to share!

[greysangel]

I *do* know you could definitely lighten the filling without compromise by using 1/3 less fat cream cheese and maybe 3 TBSP of butter. What I would do is while mixing the filling, just taste 1 TBSP of butter at a time until you are happy...a whole stick seems much.

The cookie part you would have to experiment with. Again you could probably reduce both sugars and maybe replace or reduce the butter.

The cookies seem they would be more soft and chewy as opposed to hard?

hmmm...I feel a challenge coming on!

JeAnne

[Leonard]

I agree with rosen. I would leave the recipe as it. I always true the recipes as meant to be, then if I like the recipe but think it needs to be lightened, I try to lighten it the second time around. Otherwise, you'll never know what it SHOULD taste like. I also bought the book over the weekend. Some fabulous recipes and beautiful pictures. I posted an okay review for the Chocolate Thumbprints. Somehow sitting overnigt, they seem to taste much better??? Happy Baking!!

[Robyncz]

There's a little bakery in Fredericksberg, Texas that makes carrot cake cookies that I love, and I've been scouring cookbooks in search of a recipe for YEARS--all to no avail! Although I can offer nothing helpful in terms of lightening the recipe, I can say thanks, Deb, for posting the recipe. You've made my day!!!!

[Peeps]

This recipe looked so good I had to give it an attempt at lightening so here's what I did (if you haven't tried already DMurray):

* Instead of the 2 sticks of butter I used 1 stick (1/2 cup) margerine and then about 2 tablespoons carrot puree with enough drained applesauce to measure 1/2 cup (although I think all applesauce would have been fine)
* 1/2 cup Egg Beaters for the eggs
* Omitted the butter in the filling - just used 8 oz. fat free cream cheese, vanilla and about 2 cups powdered sugar (or enough to get the right consistency though it was not as thick as a proper frosting would be)

I tried making some right away and then tried chilling the dough for an hour but it didn't make any difference - given the reduced amount of fat it makes sense that it wouldn't firm up like a butter based dough, which was absolutely fine - I just used my cookie scooper and a silpat and dropped them in blobs as opposed to rolling into balls.

The results were very yummy - of course I don't know what the original would taste like, probably a harder texture, these were more soft - like a soft oatmeal cookie but they are still extremely tasty. I actually think they are great on their own, even without the filling - I would probably make them again just the same way as regular cookies. I think though if I were to attempt the filling again I would probably go with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and maybe a teeny bit of butter just for consistency (if I were giving them as a gift or something since that would still make them pretty fattening!) as the fat free wasn't quite like regular (naturally).

[DMurray]

Peeps-Thank you!! I've been working a lot this week so I haven't had time to bake, but everyone at work is sick of hearing about these cookies (they tend to think I'm a LITTLE obsessed anyway . . .) Anyway, I will give your version a try this weekend. Thanks again!
Deb

[Linda in MO]

I made these tonight and they are delicious! I cut the recipe in half, because I only had one egg! ;) Since I'm sending these to work with my husband, I didn't make the cream cheese frosting (no refrigeration). I just dusted them lightly with powdered sugar. They're a very soft, cake-like cookie. I used salted butter, golden raisins, and mace instead of nutmeg. I think with the cream cheese frosting, they would be to-die-for!