Description
Moist carrot cake bars with a rich and creamy cream cheese swirl, perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup freshly grated carrots
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.
- Cream together the light brown sugar and unsalted butter until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Fold in the grated carrots gently until evenly distributed.
- Blend the softened cream cheese, egg yolk, and granulated sugar until smooth in another bowl.
- Pour half of the carrot cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture on top, then pour the remaining carrot cake batter over it.
- Swirl the cream cheese mix lightly through the batter with a knife.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut into bars and serve!
Notes
Serve with powdered sugar or vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
Keywords: carrot cake, cream cheese bars, dessert, baking, easy dessert