Description
Carrot Cake Bars are a soft, moist dessert that blends the spiced flavor of carrot cake with a rich cream cheese swirl, perfect for any occasion or a sweet snack.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup shredded carrots
6 oz cream cheese
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease or line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy and smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and continue mixing until well combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in the shredded carrots.
- In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolk. Beat until smooth and well mixed.
- Pour the carrot cake batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it out evenly. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture onto the batter and use a knife or skewer to swirl the cream cheese into the batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bars to cool in the pan before cutting into squares.
Notes
- For added texture, you can fold in chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins into the batter.
- For a richer treat, top the bars with cream cheese frosting once they’ve cooled.
- Feel free to adjust the spices, such as adding a pinch of ginger or cloves for a more complex flavor.
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate them for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
- If you don’t have cream cheese, you can skip the swirl or substitute it with a thick Greek yogurt swirl.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: undefined
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
