Food and Recipes Recipes Carla Hall's Roasted Carrots-in-a-Blanket This fun, carrot-y spin on traditional pigs-in-a-blanket swaps franks for baby carrots that have been roasted in spices for a sweet, slightly tangy flavor. Wrapped up in a light and flaky pastry, this two-bite appetizer is an Easter menu game-changer. By Carla Hall Carla Hall Chef, best-selling author, and television personality Carla Hall has been entertaining audiences for years. She competed on Bravo's "Top Chef" and "Top Chef: All Stars" and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. Currently, she can be seen hosting Food Network's "Holiday Baking Championship." Carla believes food connects us all, and she strives to communicate this through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Carla Hall grew up surrounded by Soul Food. Her career path was unique, from working as an accountant to runway model to finally coming back to food, her real passion. Today, she is a trained chef who has worked in several professional restaurant kitchens in and around the Washington, D.C. area and is an accomplished television personality and author. Carla is also a published author. Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration. She has two previous cookbooks: Carla's Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World and Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You. Recently she published a children's book: Carla and the Christmas Cornbread. Carla was a guest on the Southern Living Biscuits & Jam podcast in 2021. Find her on social media @carlaphall and at carlahall.com. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 19, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: McCormick Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Total Time: 60 mins Servings: 32 Jump to recipe Leave it to celebrity chef Carla Hall to come up with a veggie-forward version of pigs-in-a-blanket. Developed in partnership with McCormick, the Top Chef alum's finger-licking take on the beloved appetizer is one any bunny will enjoy. Plus they're super easy (and fun!) to make. Hall's Carrots-in-a-Blanket are a healthier spin on the classic, bite-sized app featuring a blend of spices so rich and flavorful, that even the most staunch carnivores will find themselves hopping back up for more. "The texture of the carrots, all of those spices, are a symphony of flavors," Hall says in an IGTV demonstration of the Easter-inspired recipe. "You want to get your kids to eat carrots? Make these." Like their meat-based cousins, these Carrots-in-a-Blanket are served with a tangy, mustard-based dipping sauce. For heartier portions, you can double or even triple the amount of baby carrots you tuck into your little pastry blankets. Ingredients Carrots-in-a-Blanket 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground mustard 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 16 ounce package baby carrots 3 8 ounce cans refrigerated crescent roll dough Carrot Mustard Sauce 1/2 cup stone ground dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract 1/4 cup water Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix butter, orange juice, honey, spices, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add carrots; toss to coat well. Arrange carrots in single layer on large parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast 20 to 25 minutes or just until carrots are tender. Allow carrots to cool slightly. For the Carrot Mustard Sauce, transfer 1/2 cup of the roasted carrots to blender container or food processor. Add mustard, spices, extract and water. Cover. Purée until completely smooth. Set aside. Unroll crescent dough onto clean surface (do not separate triangles). Brush about 2 tablespoons of the Carrot Mustard Sauce evenly over each sheet of crescent dough. Reserve remaining Sauce for serving. Use a pizza cutter to cut along perforations, then cut each triangle lengthwise into 3 separate triangles. Place 1 cooled carrot on the wide side of each dough triangle, then roll towards pointy ends to wrap carrots in dough. Place wrapped carrots tail-end down about 1-inch apart on parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until dough is golden brown, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Serve warm Carrots-in-a-Blanket with remaining Carrot Mustard Sauce for dipping. Want a bundle of carrots in each blanket instead of just 1? Use only 2 cans of dough and wrap 2 to 3 carrots per dough triangle. Print