Carrot Cake Bars
The Best Carrot Cake Bars are rich, tender, and topped with a smooth cream cheese swirl for a bakery style dessert everyone will love.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30–35 minutes
- Total Time: 45–50 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Swirl
6 oz block-style cream cheese (room temperature)
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
For the Carrot Cake Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
¾ cup light brown sugar (packed)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup finely shredded carrots (packed)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar for 1–2 minutes until smooth.
Add vanilla extract and egg yolk; beat again until creamy. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, beat melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined.
Add egg and vanilla extract; mix until fully incorporated.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
Gently fold in shredded carrots until evenly distributed.
Spread half the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Drop half the cream cheese mixture in dollops over the batter.
Add remaining batter over and around the cream cheese layer.
Add remaining cream cheese mixture on top and gently swirl with a knife for a marbled effect.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely before slicing into bars and serving.
Notes
Use finely shredded carrots for the best texture.
Avoid overmixing to keep bars soft and tender.
Cover loosely with foil if edges brown too quickly.
Let bars cool completely before cutting for clean slices.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Find it online: https://allrecipesmade.com/carrot-cake-bars/
