Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Last updated on October 29, 2022

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Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are chewy, dense, moist, and filled with all the flavor of your favorite carrot cake. Then they’re topped with cream cheese frosting and a few chopped walnuts for the best easy dessert recipe!

A slice of moist, chewy carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts.

My Dad’s favorite dessert is carrot cake. As a child, I totally resented the idea of putting vegetables in a cake, but now I absolutely love carrot cake.

I love the moist texture, carrot flavor, and the hint of brown sugar and cinnamon. But sometimes I don’t have the time to make my favorite carrot cake recipe. And sometimes even a classic recipe needs a bit of a changeup. And that’s where these carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting come in.

You can think of them as your favorite carrot cake in fudgy, chewy blondie form. Plus making carrot cake bars is way easier than making carrot cake because it’s an easy no mixer, one bowl recipe.

Overhead shot of a tray of carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting.

To get started we stir together melted butter and brown sugar. Then mix 2 eggs plus 1 extra egg yolk, vanilla, and grated carrots. I like to use brown sugar because it adds a delicious hint caramel and more moisture. Then the melted butter and extra egg yolk make the bars chewier

The flour, cinnamon, and salt are gently folded in – and the bars are ready to bake. They’ll take 27-32 minutes depending on your oven. Baking them longer will lead to cake-ier bars. Whereas a shorter bake time will create denser, moister bars.

A tray of carrot cake bars being frosted with cream cheese buttercream.

Then after the carrot cake bars are baked and cooled, they’re topped with cream cheese frosting. To ensure no lumps in your frosting, make sure the butter and cream cheese are well softened first. Beat them together until it’s a smooth consistency, then slowly beat in the powdered sugar along with a little vanilla extract and salt.

There are no fancy decorating techniques for this recipe. Just slather on the frosting and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans (if you’re into nuts on top).

A slice of carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting with a bite taken out.

These carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting are chewy, moist and have the perfect carrot cake flavor. So if you love carrot cake and are looking for something a little different or a little easier, definitely try these carrot cake bars!

Love carrot recipes? Try these!

Easy Carrot Cake Mix Cookies

A close up of cookies and a glass of milk

Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

Have an Easter to remember with these delicious recipes!

Fiona

Fiona blogs over at Just So Tasty where she shares easy, classic recipes for desserts & sweet treats. A peanut butter lover, chocolate connoisseur, and sprinkle addict - she hopes to make your life sweeter, one cookie at a time. She also teaches yoga, because life is all about balance.