Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Boil water in a small pot on the stove. Drop in the carrots. Boil for about 5-10 minutes, until very tender. Drain carrots and mash using a potato masher or fork. You want them as smooth as possible. Set carrots aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add the vegan butter, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat until smooth. Add in the carrot mash. Beat on low very quickly, just until combined. Then add in the flour,

baking soda, baking powder and salt. Beat on low, just until smooth. It is ok if there are little orange bits of carrot in your cookies! That actually adds some nice texture and color.

Roll out the dough using a floured surface and a rolling pin. Roll to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut out heart shapes using a cookie cutter and place hearts on the baking sheets.

Bake cookies at 350 degrees, for 10-14 minutes, or until the edges start to very lightly darken in color. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. They will be delicate upon coming out of the oven, and cooling will help them firm up a bit. Tip: If you like really soft sugar cookies, do not overbake them. You might even want them slightly underbaked. For firmer, crisp cookies, bake a bit longer, until edges brown more significantly.

While the cookies are cooling, you can whip up the frosting….

Boil some water in a small pot. Add the cashews and a pinch of salt. Boil them for just about 2-3 minutes. Drain the water and transfer the softened cashews to a blender container. Add in the coconut oil and vanilla and blend from low to high until smooth. You really want to blend on high for at least a minute to smooth out the cashews. (Very important for smooth frosting!) The mixture may look very clumpy and strange at this point, but that is ok! Next, add in the dragonfruit, blend until smooth and bright pink. Lastly, add in the powdered sugar and blend just until it is also combined. Scoop the mixture out into a small bowl. Do not worry if it is very clumpy. Place the mixture in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the top layer gets hard.

After the frosting firms up to a scoopable state that hold its shape very well, transfer all the frosting to a medium mixing bowl. One with high sides is preferred. Using a hand mixer, beat on low until fluffy and whipped.

Frost your cooled cookies and serve! Add pink sugar on top if desired. Tip: For easier frosting, place the cookies in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes before frosting. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.