Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Swirl

Whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar.

Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until completely broken down and combined.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then use a rubber spatula to fold it completely into the wet batter.

Fold in the shredded carrots and shredded coconut (if using) until evenly distributed.

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then add the sour cream, vanilla and egg yolk and mix until combined.

Add ⅓ of the carrot cake batter to the bottom of the prepared pan and spread it evenly to meet the corners and edges.

Alternate adding spoonfuls of the remaining carrot cake batter and all of the cream cheese until used up.

Swirl the mixture together gently, then bake and cool completely before slicing and serving.