Easter is coming up and for us that means carrot cake. I am not sure how carrot cake became such a staple in our Easter celebrations but I am certainly not complaining. You just can’t beat the combination of the spiced cake and cream cheese frosting. Mathlete tends to be more of a cookie/bar fan versus cake so I am making him some carrot cake cookie bars instead of the regular cake.
The carrot cake bars are full of delicious oats, real carrots {hello vegetables as dessert} and white chocolate. We top that party in your mouth off with homemade cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients for Carrot Cake Cookie Bars:
3/4 cup butter softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup oats
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
Frosting:
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk
Let’s Make It:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2) In a small bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Stir gently to mix.
3) In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add in eggs, one at a time. In 1/2 cup increments, add in flour mixture. Let each prior additional mix in before adding more. Fold in oats, carrots, chocolate chips and raisins.
4) Spread cookie dough into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing into bars.
5) For frosting, beat together cream and cheese and butter until smooth. Working in 1/4 cup increments, slowly beat in powdered sugar. Add milk, by the 1/2 Tbsp, until you reach the desired consistency. Spread on cooled cookie bars.
Now, I know some people don’t like cream cheese frosting {those people are not friends of mine} so you can totally skip the frosting and serve these on their own. They are still crazy delicious.
What are your favorite Easter desserts? Do you love carrot cake like I do?
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cup oats
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 8oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Stir gently to mix.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add in eggs, one at a time. In 1/2 cup increments, add in flour mixture. Let each prior additional mix in before adding more. Fold in oats, carrots, chocolate chips and raisins.
- Spread cookie dough into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing into bars.
- For frosting, beat together cream and cheese and butter until smooth. Working in 1/4 cup increments, slowly beat in powdered sugar. Add milk, by the 1/2 Tbsp, until you reach the desired consistency. Spread on cooled cookie bars
Love the idea of carrot cake bars…they look yummy.
Yummy, that look great.
These look delicious! Carrot cake is a fav in our home. These are a def must try.
Yum! I would eat the whole pan! 🙂
We always have strawberry pie at Easter but your carrot cake bars might have to become a new tradition!
Hi Shannah! I’m visiting via Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday and I love your Carrot Cake Cookie Bars. They look so tasty, and I’ve pinned them to try soon. I’d love for you to share this recipe with my Hearth and Soul Link Party if you have time. It’s live on my blog now!
I love the idea of turning carrot cake into cookie bars! So yummy! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday this week – I’m including your cookie bars in my features for this week’s party, which goes live Sunday evening. I hope you’ll stop by and link up again!
Looks like Easter is great time to collect recipes, these look so good. Wish I could eat walnuts. Don’t have any lower teeth due to losing bone from osteoporosis. So far uppers are hanging in there but at some point will lose them also. Good thing am getting old.
Love carrot cake but it’s always been too fattening for me. Also have severe hypo- thyroidism, born with it, is why have osteoporosis so badly along with other unpleasant side effects.
This looks so good am practically drooling, haven’t had carrot cake in years. Cookie bars sound easier to make.
Have great week
Thanks for sharing it over at Food Friday. Excited to see what you’ll be sharing next! 😀