These carrot cake shortbreads came about because I had about half a bottle of carrot juice in my refrigerator, and I needed to find a creative use for it. So then I thought, why not reduce it down into a jammy consistency, which will then have an intense carrot flavor to it, and then use it in a baked good? I have made carrot cookie-type things before using that method, so I know I can do a shortbread-type of thing using the carrot juice reduction as well. And that’s when I remembered I had these cute bunny cookie cutters, and that I could make the same animal-themed cookie sandwiches that I did earlier with the bear-shaped cookie cutter, but this time, bunny-themed. Carrots and bunnies go hand in hand, so I figured it as a perfect match. With the carrot juice, I specifically reduced it down with cinnamon, since that would then taste exactly like a carrot cake. If I went with a tangier take on a white chocolate ganache filling scented with lemon juice, that would sort of taste like a cream cheese frosting, so the two together in one would literally taste like carrot cake! What I love about this recipe, besides the fact that bunnies, one of my favorite animals during childhood are aesthetically represented here, is that the buttery shortbread cookies actually took on the flavor of the carrot really well! The shortbreads taste like carrot cake, they’re bright orange, and contrasted with the white ganache filling, it really does look like a carrot cake cookie!

Makes 18 shortbread sandwiches:
For the shortbread dough:
1/4 cup carrot juice
a pinch of cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cornstarch

In a pot, reduce the carrot juice with cinnamon on low heat until it forms a thick syrup. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until they reach a silky consistency. Then add to that the egg yolk, vanilla, and carrot juice reduction, and stir until those are incorporated as well. Finally, fold the flour and cornstarch into the butter to form your dough. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Then on a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 1 1/2-inch rounds of the dough, and then with half of the rounds, cut out bunny shapes, re-rolling the dough as necessary. Freeze the dough for at least 1 hour before baking at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes.

For the ganache filling:
2oz white chocolate chips
.5oz heavy cream
.5oz unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cooking sake

Over a double boiler, melt everything down. Allow the mixture to cool down before transferring to a piping bag for assembly.

For garnish:
1/4 tsp activated charcoal
1g clear alcohol

Mix together the form your edible paint.

To assemble:
Pipe the filling onto a normal round. Then press onto it a round that has the bunny shape cut out of it. Then using a skewer, draw on the bunny features(eyes and mouth) using the edible paint to finish.