Orange-Glazed Carrots

These carrots cook in the slow cooker until tender, then get tossed in a simple glaze of butter, orange marmalade, and chopped pecans for a side dish that belongs on a holiday table but takes almost no hands-on work.

The two-stage crockpot method is what keeps things clean and bright. Carrots cook in salted water first until soft, then drain completely before the glaze goes in. If you added the marmalade at the start, it would water down into a thin, sticky soup instead of coating each carrot slice in a glossy orange glaze.

Orange marmalade does the work of both sweetener and flavoring in one move. The bits of peel in the marmalade add a slight bitterness and citrus oil that straight orange juice can’t match. Butter melts into it and the pecans toast slightly in the residual heat, giving each bite crunch against the soft carrots.

Kitchen Tips

• Slice carrots thin and uniform so they cook evenly over the 2 to 3 hours. Thick coins take longer and you’ll end up with some mushy and some still crunchy.
• Drain the carrots thoroughly before adding the glaze ingredients. Excess water dilutes the marmalade and prevents it from sticking.
• Check tenderness at the 2-hour mark. Thinly sliced carrots may be done early and overcooking turns them to mush.

Variations

• Swap orange marmalade for apricot preserves for a milder, sweeter stone fruit glaze.
• Add a pinch of cinnamon or ground ginger with the glaze for a warm spice note.
• Replace pecans with toasted walnuts or slivered almonds for a different nut crunch.