Sweet Carrot Filling for Hand Pies

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients. If you like a hint of cinnamon in your carrot filling, add a couple of pinches of ground cinnamon while it cooks to boost the flavor. Choose sweet, juicy carrots rather than the tough, fibrous kind. Peel them and rinse well under water. If you're making filling for a large batch of pies, scale the ingredients up accordingly.

2. Step 2:

   

   Grate the peeled, washed carrots on the large holes of a box grater. You can also shred them in a food processor.

3. Step 3:

   

   Add the butter to a skillet, set it over medium heat, and melt the butter until it's almost bubbling. Don't swap the butter for a spread or margarine—they'll give the filling a bitter, off flavor.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the grated carrots to the skillet and stir gently so they soak up the melted butter.

5. Step 5:

   

   Stir in the sugar and, if you like, ground cinnamon or vanilla sugar. You can even add a couple of drops of citrus extract—carrots pair beautifully with it. In fact, many cooks like to use lemon or orange juice (fresh or store-bought) in place of the water. Pour in the water.

6. Step 6:

   

   Simmer everything in the skillet for about 5–7 minutes, until the carrots turn soft and juicy and release their liquid. Once they do, turn off the heat and let the filling cool slightly. You can make it ahead and chill it in the refrigerator, where it keeps for 2–3 days.

7. Step 7:

   

   Transfer it to a small bowl and it's ready to use for filling your pies.