CARLA HALL STEPSON RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix butter, orange juice, honey, spices, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add carrots; toss to coat well. Arrange carrots in single layer on large parchment-lined sheet pan.
• Roast 20 to 25 minutes or just until carrots are tender. Allow carrots to cool slightly.
• For the Carrot Mustard Sauce, transfer 1/2 cup of the roasted carrots to blender container or food processor. Add mustard, spices, extract and water. Cover. Purée until completely smooth. Set aside.
• Unroll crescent dough onto clean surface (do not separate triangles). Brush about 2 tablespoons of the Carrot Mustard Sauce evenly over each sheet of crescent dough. Reserve remaining Sauce for serving. Use a pizza cutter to cut along perforations, then cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 separate triangles. Place 1 cooled carrot on the wide side of each dough triangle, then roll towards pointy ends to wrap carrots in dough. Place wrapped carrots tail-end down about 1-inch apart on parchment-lined sheet pan.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes until dough is golden brown, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Serve warm Carrots-in-a-Blanket with remaining Carrot Mustard Sauce for dipping.

Steps:

• Whisk flour and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Beat in vanilla and almond extract until incorporated. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture, beating until dough comes together in large clumps, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
• Transfer dough to a gallon-size ziplock plastic bag, and press into a 1-inch-thick, 9-inch-wide rectangle. Seal bag. Refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 weeks.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide chilled dough evenly into 2 pieces on a lightly floured work surface. Roll each piece to about ½-inch thickness. Cut dough using lightly floured 2½-inch and 5-inch snowflake-shaped cutters, rerolling scraps as needed. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake in batches, 1 baking sheet at a time, until cookie edges are browned and tops are golden, 14 to 18 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets, 1 hour.
• Place baking chips in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on medium (50 percent power) for 20 seconds. Stir, and continue microwaving until smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds total, stopping to stir every 10 seconds.
• Working with 1 cookie at a time, spread a thin layer of melted baking chips over surface of cookie. Place cookie, frosted side up, on a wire rack, and immediately decorate with sparkling sugar and sprinkles. Repeat process with remaining cookies and melted baking chips. Let stand at room temperature until frosting has set, about 20 minutes.