Carrot cake cookies, carrots in a blanket and more: These recipes are perfect for Easter

Some bunny planned the 2021 calendar perfectly, because International Carrot Day falls on Easter this Sunday.

Celebrity chef Carla Hall and John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen shared their exclusive recipes with "Good Morning America" for the tandem food-centric holiday weekend.

Both chefs teamed up with McCormick to dish out a culinary tribute to the Easter bunny’s all-time favorite food -- the humble carrot.

Carrots in a Blanket

Hall developed this fun, carrot-y spin on traditional pigs in a blanket that swaps franks for baby carrots, roasted in McCormick spices for a sweet, slightly tangy flavor. Wrapped up in a light and flaky pastry, this two-bite appetizer will be a new family favorite for years to come.

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet™ Organic Ground Coriander

1 teaspoon McCormick Ground Mustard

1 teaspoon McCormick Paprika

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Rosemary Leaves, lightly crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Black Pepper Grinder

1 package (16 ounces) baby carrots

3 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll dough

Carrot mustard sauce

1/2 cup French’s Stone Ground Dijon Mustard

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Black Pepper Grinder

1/4 teaspoon McCormick Pure 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 toward 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.

Carrot Cake Cookies

Kanell’s sweet and festive treats are as whimsical as they are tasty. These cookies bring all the flavors of carrot cake in a fun, handheld way that allows the whole family to get involved in the kitchen. Big and little kids alike can help frost and decorate!

Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons McCormick Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
2 medium carrots, grated (about 1 cup)
3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Cream cheese frosting
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
1 package (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk, optional
McCormick Assorted Food Color & Egg Dye

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set side. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well-mixed. Stir in shredded carrots, oats, coconut and pecans, just until blended.
Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating well after each addition. (Add 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if desired, for a thinner consistency.) Reserve 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) frosting; set aside for decorating.
Spread tops of cookies evenly with remaining frosting (about 1 tablespoon each). To decorate cookies, tint 2 tablespoons of the reserved frosting green (1 drop green food color) and 6 tablespoons of the reserved frosting orange (2 drops red + 6 drops yellow food color). Transfer each color to a small piping bag fitted with desired decorating tip. Pipe carrots with green leaves on top of cookies, as desired.

Warm Carrot Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

Layers of warm, spiced carrots, along with lightly caramelized pineapple chunks and tart, crunchy apples come together with a creamy and bright lemon dressing to make a beautiful warm salad that truly features carrots as the star of the show.

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon McCormick® Sesame Seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Black Peppercorn Grinder
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cayenne Pepper
3 1 pound medium rainbow carrots, trimmed and peeled
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup canned pineapple in juice, drained (with juice reserved), cut into 1/2-inch chunksCreamy lemon dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pineapple juice (reserved from can)
2 teaspoons French’s Chardonnay Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Lemon Extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Whisk olive oil, sesame seed, salt, black pepper and cayenne in small bowl. Arrange carrots in single layer on parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil mixture, rolling carrots to coat well.
Roast 30 minutes, turning carrots halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, cut apple into 1/2-inch chunks; toss with raisins and lemon juice in medium bowl; set aside.
Remove pan from oven and push carrots to one side of pan. Arrange pineapple chunks on other side of pan. Roast 10 to 15 minutes longer, until carrots are fork tender and pineapple is lightly browned.
Remove pan from the oven. Keeping separate from the carrots, add apple mixture to pineapple on sheet pan, tossing gently to allow mixture to pick up any pan juices and seasonings. Allow carrots and pineapple mixture to cool slightly.
For the Creamy Lemon Dressing, whisk all ingredients in small bowl. To assemble salad, arrange carrots on rectangular serving platter. Sprinkle pineapple mixture across center of carrots. Drizzle with Creamy Lemon Dressing to serve.

Recipe reprinted courtesy of Carla Hall.

Carrot Cake Roll with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

Make room at the dessert table for this fluffy spiced cake loaded with carrots and the warm flavor of McCormick spices. Rolled up with a light and airy lemon and cream cheese filling, it’s a sweet way to celebrate the season.

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons McCormick Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Allspice
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ground Ginger1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
2 cups shredded carrots (about 2–3 medium carrots)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for rolling cake
Lemon cream cheese filling
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Lemon Extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for serving
McCormick Assorted Food Color & Egg Dye, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with parchment paper, extending paper 1-inch past ends of pan to use as handles. Sift flour, spices, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed about 5 minutes or until very thick and pale in color, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Stir in carrots and oil. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and center springs back when pressed lightly.
Place clean kitchen towel on work surface; dust with 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Loosen cake around sides of pan with small knife. Turn out onto sugared towel, parchment paper-side up. Fold 1 side of towel over short side of cake, then roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool cake completely on wire rack.
For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and extracts in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating well after each addition, until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup frosting, set aside for decorating.
Unroll cake onto towel. Peel off parchment. Spread remaining cream cheese frosting evenly over cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border unfrosted. Using towel, roll up cake and place seam-side down on large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap cake firmly to keep shape. Refrigerate 1 hour to allow frosting to set.
Divide reserved frosting evenly into two separate small bowls. Tint one bowl green (1 drop green food color) and one bowl orange (1 drop red + 2 drops yellow food color). Transfer tinted frosting to piping bags fitted with medium round tip. Remove cake from plastic wrap and place seam-side down on serving platter. Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar, and pipe carrot shapes on top and sides, as desired, using tinted frosting.