Have you ever used a silicone baking mat? I tried one recently and was so impressed with it. I made some carrot cake cookies using the Patisse silicone baking mat and the cookies were so easy to remove. I didn’t even need to wash the baking tray, as nothing had seeped through. All I did was wash the mat by hand, although it’s safe to put it through the dishwasher. I’m all for saving time so I was seriously impressed. Prior to the silicone baking mat I’d been using baking paper. With all the baking I do, you can imagine how much baking paper I go through each month. Having a reusable item like the Patisse silicone baking mat will not only save me money long term but it’s environmentally friendly as well. The mat is also oven safe to 230°C. This is the second Patisse item I’ve used and I’m impressed with how well they’re made. Here’s the carrot cake cookie recipe for you. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60 gram eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if yours is fan forced, you may need to lower the oven temperature by 20°C. You’ll need to start this recipe the day before serving the cookies. To view all Patisse bakeware made in Holland click here

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Carrot Cake Cookies

(makes about 12 cookies)

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup plain flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 125 grams unsalted butter, softened
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 cup coarsely grated carrots
• ⅓ cup sultanas
• ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling

• 30 grams unsalted butter
• 60 grams cream cheese
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sifted icing sugar

Preparation Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 190°C. Line 2 baking trays with silicone baking sheets or baking paper. Sift the flour, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda together into a small bowl. Set to one side. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Mix in carrots, sultanas and nuts and then add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. If the mixture seems a bit too moist, add another 1-2 tablespoons of plain flour. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes before shaping. Drop tablespoons of the batter 2 inches/5cm apart on the baking trays and bake until the cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch about 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re using 2 trays you’ll need to switch the position of the trays halfway through the baking process. Cool cookies on the trays for a minute or two, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. While the cookies are baking, blend the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate the filling for an hour to allow it to firm. Sandwich the flat sides of the cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between. Once the cookies are filled, store overnight in the fridge to allow the cookies to soften before serving.