These carrot cake blondies take all the flavors of a classic carrot cake and make them into a chewy, easy-to-eat carrot cake bar! Packed with warm spices and finely shredded carrots, these chewy bars get swirled with sweetened cream cheese, mimicking your favorite cream cheese frosting.
These carrot cake blondies are a fun twist on a classic and are such a perfect easy Easter dessert. But, if you are looking for a classic, try my carrot cake snack cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Carrot cake flavors - these carrot cake bars with cream cheese have all of your favorite carrot cake flavors. You won't miss out on any flavor - from the carrots to brown sugar and warm spices, the nostalgia is there!
Easy to make - the blondies get made in one pan, with a less than 30-minute bake time!
No decorating - there's no fancy cake decorating or assembly going on here, making this a super simple and easy recipe where the cream cheese swirls still give the bars a wow factor.
Store well - these store for up to a week, making them perfect to tuck into Easter baskets, gift, or serve on the dessert table. While they need to be kept in the fridge long-term, they are able to remain at room temperature for a handful of hours.
Ingredients
- Spices. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves produce a classic carrot cake flavor.
- Baking powder. This is used to help the blondies rise just a bit.
- Carrots. Due to the short bake time, I prefer to use finely shredded carrots in this recipe. It's best to shred them yourself, as pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store lose a lot of moisture.
- Shredded coconut. This is an optional ingredient. If using it, be sure to get sweetened shredded coconut.
- Cream cheese. Use full-fat cream cheese that is at a very soft room temperature.
- Sour cream. This aids in adding extra tanginess to the cream cheese swirls. Greek yogurt could also be used.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Omit the shredded coconut, if desired.
- Add ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pecans. Toast them first (and let them cool) for best flavor!
How to Make This Recipe
One: Whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar.
Two: Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until completely broken down and combined.
Three: Whisk together the dry ingredients, then use a rubber spatula to fold it completely into the wet batter.
Four: Fold in the shredded carrots and shredded coconut (if using) until evenly distributed.
Hot tip! Only mix until the flour and mix-ins (carrots) are just combined. Overworking the batter can make the blondies tough and gummy.
Five: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then add the sour cream, vanilla and egg yolk and mix until combined.
Six: Add ⅓ of the carrot cake batter to the bottom of the prepared pan and spread it evenly to meet the corners and edges.
Seven: Alternate adding spoonfuls of the remaining carrot cake batter and all of the cream cheese until used up.
Eight: Swirl the mixture together gently, then bake and cool completely before slicing and serving.
Expert Tips
- Line the pan with two strips of parchment paper so the edges slightly hang over the sides. This helps with easy removal and slicing once cooled.
- Don't over-mix the batter when adding the dry ingredients, otherwise, it can lead to tough, gummy blondies.
- Don't over-swirl the blondies when combining the batters for the best appearance.
Recipe FAQs
Blondies, similar to brownies, can be slightly gooey in the middle, but there shouldn't be any raw batter.
This is likely because they were over-swirled or the batters weren't evenly distributed around the pan. Try only swirling a little bit for the best results!
Yes, the longer they cool, the firmer they will become, especially if you add them to the fridge.
Storage
Store the carrot cake blondies tightly covered in the fridge for up to one week.
To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a zip-top bag or sealed container. Freeze for up to three months. Unwrap completely and thaw in the fridge before eating.
More Blondie and Brownie Recipes You'll Love
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📖Recipe
Carrot Cake Blondies with Cream Cheese Swirl
Equipment
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots
- ⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut optional
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease then line an 8x8” baking pan with parchment paper with slight overhangs.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, and salt and set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter and light brown sugar until combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk vigorously for one minute.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients and mix it together with a rubber spatula. Then, fold in the shredded carrots and coconut, if using, until evenly distributed. Set aside.1 cup finely shredded carrots, ⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese and granulated sugar with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until smooth. Add the sour cream, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.4 oz cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sour cream, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add ⅓ of the carrot cake batter to the pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Then, use a large cookie scoop to alternate adding scoops of the carrot cake batter and cheesecake batter randomly all over the pan.
- Use a butter knife to swirl the batters together, then bake for 20-25 minutes until no longer raw in the center.
- Cool for one hour, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Don't over-mix the batter when adding the dry ingredients, otherwise, it can lead to tough, gummy blondies.
- Don't over-swirl the blondies when combining the batters for the best appearance.
Peggy Wenner
I haven't made it yet but it looks delicious. ! I have the ingredients so I'm going to make . I'll be back with a comment. I' m going to send this to all my "friends " so they can enjoy it too. Love to you, Adam and Seth. Don't fatten them up too much !
The Cozy Plum
Sounds like an awesome plan 🙂 Let me know how it goes!