Description
Carrot Cake Bars are moist, spiced, and swirled with a creamy cheesecake layer. These carrot cake blondies combine the nostalgic flavor of classic carrot cake with the convenience of handheld dessert bars, making them perfect for Easter, spring gatherings, or cozy weekends at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the carrot cake base:
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup freshly shredded carrots
- For the cheesecake swirl:
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add egg and vanilla extract, stirring until combined.
- Mix in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold in freshly shredded carrots.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Spread half of the carrot batter into the prepared pan.
- Add spoonfuls of cheesecake mixture over the batter.
- Top with remaining carrot batter.
- Use a knife to gently swirl the cheesecake into the batter.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes until edges are golden and the center is set.
- Cool completely, then refrigerate before slicing into bars.
Notes
For clean slices, chill at least 2 hours before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–5 days. Bars can be frozen up to 2 months. Add walnuts, pecans, raisins, or coconut for variation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 323
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
Keywords: carrot cake bars, carrot cake blondies, carrot dessert bars, moist carrot cake squares, cheesecake swirl bars, easy carrot cake recipe