Kids gobble these up
The sugar, and the sweetness of the caramelized carrots, makes these a big favorite with kids. The biggest problem is that I get tired of cutting up carrots and never make enough of them, and then I have the kids fighting over them. But hey, kids fighting over carrots – that should be the worst of my problems!
Cane sugar or beet sugar?
We’ve been arguing about this for a couple of years. Cane sugar is often picked by children, and beet sugar is picked by machines, so we usually get beet sugar. We can’t taste the difference. Whole Foods has fair trade sugar, and that’s probably the best choice if you can afford it.
How to make candied carrots:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel and slice up seven or eight full-size carrots (a lot more if you are using smaller carrots from the farmer’s market) into thin sticks by cutting them in half lengthwise, then in half crossways, then in half lengthwise again. As you cut the carrot sticks, dump them on a cookie sheet with about 1/4 cup of olive oil on it.
When all the carrot sticks are cut, use salad tongs to toss the carrot sticks in the olive oil. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar over the carrots and toss them again. Bake the carrots in the oven ten minutes, then take them out and toss them in the oil again.
Return the carrots to the oven and bake until they are soft and beginning to get a little bit black and crunchy around the edges. Serve hot, maybe with twice baked potatoes or salmon.
Instead of the sugar, you can also season these with cayenne pepper, or with cinnamon, or with cumin. They’re also good just plain, with no spicing or sugar.
Vegetarian or vegan
Just naturally vegan! Enjoy!
Can I keep this for later?
Yes, candied carrots will be just as good after a couple of days in the refrigerator, if you keep them in a plastic bag or tupperware so they don’t get dried out. Microwave them to warm them up for lunch.