Carrot Truffles

Must Try Recipes

When I was searching through Greek cookbooks, I noticed that the use of carrots in sweets and desserts was a recurring theme.  I debated between trying this recipe and one for carrot jam; it was the hefty dose of coconut in these truffles that sealed the deal.  Shredded carrots gets cooked in a sugar syrup until candied and chewy, flavored with some vanilla and lemon and combined with shredded, unsweetened coconut.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that these are healthy, but they definitely have a nutritional edge over your average candy.  These colorful truffles would also be great with some add-ins, such as candied ginger, pineapple or even raisins.  Anything that you’d think would work in a carrot cake would likely work here as well.

Carrot Truffles

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients:

* 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and grated
* 1 cup sugar
* zest of 1 lemon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2-1/2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut, divided

Directions:

Combine the carrots and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix in the lemon zest, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of the coconut. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Shape the mixture into small balls and roll in the remaining coconut.

Adapted from Vefa’s Kitchen

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