Martha Stewart Candied Carrot Curls

Martha Stewart candied carrot curls turn fresh orange carrots and a simple sugar syrup into crisp, glossy spiral garnishes in 2 hours 35 minutes. It's an easy cake decorating idea for Easter, spring brunch or birthday cakes, and it's a make-ahead garnish that keeps well.

Bake the simmered strips until they feel tacky but no longer wet, because that is the moment they bend without snapping. Pull them too early and they stay limp, too late and they crack when you wrap them.

Martha wraps the warm strips around the handle of a wooden spoon, so you need no special molds or tools for the springy shape. She also simmers the carrots in syrup before baking, which makes them tender enough to curl and sweet all the way through.

Martha Stewart Candied Carrot Curls

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Calories

40

kcal

Thin carrot ribbons simmer in sugar syrup, dry in a low oven, then wrap around a spoon handle. Once they rest and dry, the curls turn crisp and sparkly.

Ingredients

• 3 large orange or yellow carrots (or a combination), peeled
  

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  

Directions

• Peel the carrots: Use a vegetable peeler to shave 3 large orange or yellow carrots into thin strips. Keep the strips as even as you can, so they cook at the same pace.
• Simmer in syrup: Bring 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the carrots, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes until very soft.
• Cool and drain: Let the carrots cool in the syrup for 10 minutes. Then drain them well and save the syrup for later.
• Dry in the oven: Preheat the oven to 225°F and set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange the strips in a single layer and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until tacky but no longer wet.
• Curl the strips: Working quickly, spiral each warm strip around the handle of a wooden spoon or around your finger. If a strip hardens before you curl it, bake it for a few minutes to soften it again.
• Sugar and dry: Sprinkle the curls with a little extra sugar to coat them. Let them stand on a wire rack for about 1 hour until crisp and dry.

Tools for this recipe

• OXO wooden spoon set, Checkered Chef cooling racks, OXO swivel vegetable peeler. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

What can I do with the leftover simple syrup?

Martha suggests saving it, since it has an earthy sweetness from the carrots. Stir a spoonful into cocktails or lemonade, and keep it in a jar in the fridge.

What if the carrot strips harden before I curl them?

Put them back in the 225°F oven for a few minutes to soften them again. Then curl them right away while they are warm and pliable.

Can I make the carrot curls ahead of time?

Yes, they need about 1 hour to dry and crisp up anyway, so make them before you frost the cake. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot, since humidity makes them sticky.

Can I curl them without a wooden spoon?

Yes, the handle of any slim utensil works, or you can simply wrap the strips around your finger. Just keep the diameter small, so the spirals stay springy.

What is the most common mistake with candied carrots?

Pulling them from the oven too soon is the usual problem, because wet strips will not hold a curl. They should feel tacky to the touch but not damp before you start wrapping.