Description
Delightful carrot cake bars with a luscious cream cheese filling, 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.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the light brown sugar and unsalted butter. Beat until creamy and smooth.
- Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the mixture, and continue to mix until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and kosher salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the freshly grated carrots until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour two-thirds of the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly.
- In another bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg yolk until smooth and creamy.
- Add the cream cheese mixture on top of the carrot cake layer in the baking dish, spreading it evenly.
- Top the cream cheese layer with the remaining carrot cake batter, spreading it to cover the cream cheese layer completely.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For best flavor and moisture, use freshly grated carrots. Ensure cream cheese is at room temperature for mixing. Allow bars to cool completely before cutting for clean edges.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg