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When my husband asked me what I would be blogging about today, I told him "Perfect Glazed Carrots". He looked at me kind of funny and, being my most honest critic, said "Aren't you being a bit presumptuous, calling them PERFECT carrots?" "Nope", I replied...
...because I didn't name them, Cooks Illustrated did! And in my book, if Cook's Illustrated says they're perfect, then that's exactly what they are! CI has a longstanding reputation for wonderful tried-and-true recipes.
I've been making these carrots for years and, though I have a wide selection of carrot recipes in my collection, I have to say that these are my favorite! They're simple to prepare, and can, for the most part, be done ahead of time. Their sweet buttery glaze is delicious without being overly sugary. I love the fact that you can keep them simple or dress them up with herbs, spices and nuts. They seem to appeal to everyone and they're...............well, just perfect!
Perfect Glazed Carrots
1 lb. carrots, peeled or 1 lb. baby carrots cut in half lengthwise on the diagonal
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter, in 4 pieces
½ cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
1. If using regular carrots slice them about a quarter inch thick on the bias. If using baby carrots cut them in half lengthwise on the diagonal.
Glazed Carrots with Ginger and Rosemary - cut a 1" piece of fresh ginger crosswise into ¼" coins. Follow recipe adding ginger to skillet along with carrots and adding 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary along with butter. Discard ginger pieces before serving.
Honey-Glazed Carrots with Lemon and Thyme - follow recipe substituting equal amount to honey for sugar and adding ½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves and ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest along with butter.
Sometimes I add raisins or currants instead of dried cranberries at the end when glazing. You can also add toasted almonds along with butter.
Notes :
Melstan23 says
Any suggestions for adapting this to a slow cooker?
Chris Scheuer says
Melissa, I think the carrots wouldn't do that well in a slow cooker. You could make them ahead and rewarm them in a slow cooker though.
Caitlin says
Used baby carrots because they were easiest and oh my gosh this recipe was delicious! I want to make these all the time. I'd even consider adding some form of nut to it for a little added salty crunch with the sweet cranberry.
Leona says
What is the yield? That is, how many will the recipe serve as written?
Chris Scheuer says
This will serve 4-6.
Monica says
This was wildly popular at my Thanksgiving dinner today! Can't believe how easy it was! The cranberries are the perfect way to dress up plain carrots for the holidays!
Chris Scheuer says
Yeh!
Christine says
Just tried this and I'm now worried they won't make it to the table for dinner as I can't keep away from them! Yum! Thanks for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
If you ate them all, no one would ever know you had been planning to serve them 🙂
Lori says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I purchased fresh cranberries to dry myself here at home. Would you sweeten them or leave them as is? I've seen drying instructions with and without sweetening but wasn't sure what would go best with this recipe. Would love your opinion!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lori,I would probably do the sweetened version as the dried cranberries I used were sweetened and they add such a nice flavor to the carrots. Bravo to you for drying your own cranberries. I’m impressed!! Have a lovely Thanksgiving!
marie says
thanks for the great recipe! i am definitely adding this to my thanksgiving dinner.
i just have one quiestion, do you think substituting the dried cranberries to frozen cranberries would cause problems? i bought a huge bag of frozen cranberries to make cranberry sauce and dont want them to go to waste!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Marie, frozen cranberries would not work well in this recipe. They're too tart and would get very wilty.
brandi says
Do you have a nutrition break down by chance?
Chris Scheuer says
Sorry, I don't have that broken down.
Rita says
I do love to serve carrots; how nice of you to give me a new and original recipe; merci.
Rita
Words Of Deliciousness says
I love the colors of the cranberries and the carrots together. This recipe sounds very yummy.
Pam says
What a colorful & delicious side dish!
Vicki Bensinger says
These do sound good and so simple to prepare. How different to use chicken broth. I will definitely be trying these.
Ginny says
Wow, these look beautiful, and I love Cook's Illustrated! I used to subscribe to the magazine. And I like all the variations, too.
Emily Malloy says
Perfectly glazed is right!
Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says
They do look perfect! Nice combination with cranberries, sweet and tart, not to mention colorful.
sweetpeaskitchen.com says
I actually had this recipe bookmarked to make for Christmas....now I have to give it a try! I love all the cranberries! Yummy! 🙂
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
What a beautiful dish! Carrots have always been one of my favorite veggies and you have really elevated this humble veggie to new heights. This will be a wonderful side with our Christmas roast.
Hovkonditorn says
Great colors and I like it when you add cranberries!
Lenia says
Even humble carrots can make a great appetizer!Well done!Indeed they are perfect!xxx
Christiane Potts says
Somewhere in the last year, Dudette decided that she doesn't like carrots anymore and I can't figure out why. They're vegetable candy. These look fantastic. I would think that the cranberries provide a perfect tart balance to the sweetness of the carrots and their glaze. I might just try these on her to see if I can change her mind. Thanks for sharing this find.
Katherine Martinelli says
These look delightful! And I'm right there with you, if Cook's said they're perfect then they are! I bet the cranberries and carrots are wonderful together.