Crowd Pleasing Candied Carrots

Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting my husband's out of town relatives. I LOOOOOVE anything hospitality related. I grew up with a mother who had weekly dinner parties (or so it seemed). Even though it drove me nuts as a kid, I've sincerely adopted a passion for entertaining as an adult. Add that to my passion for cooking and you have a dangerous combination.

Mine and my husband's family are from deep down south [insert hallelujah hands] so I found it only fitting to go back to our roots for the weekend's menu. We had southern cornbread chicken and dressing, homemade creamed corn, mashed potatoes, chocolate pie...okay, now I'm hungry.

I also made carrots. Carrots are a pretty boring vegetable. We puree them for babies. We feed them to our pets. They get a bad rap. Not my carrots. These are ALWAYS a hit. A crowd pleaser, if you will. I call them candied carrots because they're sweet as candy and who doesn't like candy?

Typically, I would let you know where a recipe originated, but this one is all my own. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and voila, candied carrots.

This recipe will make enough to feed 4-6 people, roughly. My family are big eaters so I always take those suggestions with a grain of salt.

You will need:

-2 lbs of carrots (not baby carrots)

-1 stick of butter

-brown sugar

-pumpkin pie spice

-honey (not pictured, oops)

-salt

-water

-a good vegetable peeler

-a crockpot (I'll also leave instructions for doing this on the stovetop)

First, peel your carrots. Borrrrrring. But necessary because, ew. Make sure to rinse them off after they're peeled. No one wants a little side dish of dirt in their carrots.

Next, slice them as uniformly as possible. This will insure they cook evenly and each bite will taste the same. I like to slice on an angle because it's pretty. Also, I left mine pretty "chunky" because I like them that way. You can slice yours thinner, but they won't take as long to cook. Add them to your crock-pot.

Now it's time to add our ingredients. Add enough water just so the carrots aren't touching the bottom of the crockpot. This amount will vary depending on how you cut your carrots and the size of you crockpot, so just eyeball it. I'd approximately say 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.

Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt over the carrots. Remember, these are CANDIED carrots so we don't want them overly salted.

{Wise tip: you can always add more but you can't take away. Like make-up, less is more in the beginning.}

Now add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Yum! This is where the real flavor kicks in!

{Wise tip: store brown sugar in these OXO containers. The airtight lid will keep your brown sugar soft as long as it's in there. They're my absolute favorite. Plus they're cute when you add a little chalkboard label to them. (note: this is NOT an advertisement, I just love 'em)}

Now for the secret ingredient: pumpkin pie spice. Like the salt, a little goes a long way! As fall approaches, I might use a little more because...PSL for life, y'all. But for now, just a hint. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice this time of year, you can do a little cinnamon and nutmeg and it'd be just as tasty!

{side note: my momma hands haven't been manicured in months. The struggle is real.}

Now add 2-3 tablespoons of honey. This will help create a glaze and add an extra depth to the flavor.

Give that all a little toss so each carrot is coated in the sugary, salt, pumpkin-y, honey goodness. Slice up your butter and put it on top of the carrots. No need to stir. Just let it cook over the carrots.

Cook on low for 2-3 hours, just until the carrots are fork tender. Your house will smell like an autumn day. You'll want a cozy sweater and a book and a PSL.

{Wise tip: if your carrots aren't glazed enough for your liking, or they produced too much excess water in cooking, drain off the extra water and add a little more brown sugar and honey.}

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If you'd like to make this on the stove top, make the following adjustments:

After peeling, rinsing, and slicing carrots, put in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until desired tenderness.

Drain off most water, leaving only a little bit at the bottom of the pot.

Add brown sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, honey, and melted butter. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

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Candied Carrots

Serves 4-6

Cook Time: 2-3 hours

Ingredients:

2 lbs whole carrots

2-3 TBSP light brown sugar

1 TSP salt

2-3 TBSP honey

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 stick of butter

Water

directions:

Peel and rinse carrots. Slick on the diagonal. Combine all ingredients in crock-pot. Cover and cook on low 2-3 hours, or until desired tenderness.

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#sidedish #vegetables #carrots #thanksgiving #crowdpleaser