This quick recipe for carrot cake blondies makes the best bars! They are soft and chewy and perfectly spiced. Topped with a simple cream cheese frosting (with brown butter, if you like). The blondies are everything you love about carrot cake, but in a fudgy blondie bar. 15 minute prep time and the hardest part is waiting for them to cool so you can dig in!
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I’ve been making blondie bars for decades (currently crushing on these almond flour blondies). As a busy mama and self taught baker, I adore a delish quick dessert recipe. You will simply mix the batter, spread in the pan and bake. Once cool, top with cream cheese frosting.
Carrot cake is one of Big E’s favorites, which is why I have a carrot bundt cake and carrot cake sandwich cookies already on the blog. I know you are busy and want desserts that are quick and easy. The blondies mix in one bowl (you will need another bowl for the cream cheese frosting) and have all the flavors of classic carrot cake in an easy to share bar form.
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🥕 ingredients that make these blondie bars work
I used my birthday cake blondies as a jumping off place for this recipe. Then I added spices for carrot cake. We like our desserts without nuts, but feel free to add them, if that is your thing. In the initial tests, I made a cream cheese frosting, which is classic for carrot cake. If you want to take it up a notch, make brown butter cream cheese frosting instead!
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
- Grated carrots ~ grate the carrots on a box grater {this is the one I use in my kitchen}. To measure, use a kitchen scale (this is the one I use) or pack the grated carrots into the measuring cup. Once you've measured the grated carrots, place them between some paper towels and blot them to remove most of the moisture.
- Spices ~ ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg add some depth to the flavor of these carrot cake blondies.
- Brown sugar ~ my testers preferred the richness that dark brown sugar brings to these blondie bars. If you only have light brown sugar, that works too.
🥣 how to make in photos
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. (If wanting brown butter cream cheese frosting, brown the butter now. Instructions for the frosting start at #8 in the recipe card).
Grate the carrots using the small holes on a box grater. Then lay between paper towels and blot out most of the moisture.
In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, packed brown sugar and kosher salt until well combined.
Then add in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape up and down the bowl as needed and whisk until combined. Now add the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and whisk to combine.
Next add the all-purpose flour and mix with a spatula until some large flour streaks remain. Then add the grated and dried carrots and gently fold them into the blondie dough until combined.
Drop the batter (it’s thick) into the prepared baking pan and smooth to an even layer.
Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until the edges have lightly browned and a tester in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. You do not want a clean/dry tester, which means the blondies are over baked.
Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack before covering with cream cheese frosting. (If you want to speed up the cooling process, place the pan in the refrigerator once you can pick it up with bare hands).
🧈 simple brown butter cream cheese frosting
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-high until creamy.
Then add the room temperature butter OR solidified brown butter and beat on medium-high until combined and creamy.
Scrape up and down the bowl, then the confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low until the sugar is incorporated, then add the vanilla and beat on medium high until the buttercream is smooth.
Spread the frosting over the fully cooled carrot cake blondies. If you would like a thinner layer of cream cheese frosting, cut the recipe in half.
🆘 troubleshooting tips
Blot the grated carrots to remove most of the moisture before adding them to the cookie dough. For this recipe, pack the carrots into the measuring cup or use the weight measurement. Measure or weigh them BEFORE removing the moisture.
Don't be tempted to use prepackaged shredded carrots, they can often be too thick or too wet.
This quick and easy carrot cake blondies recipe makes blondies with a brownie-like texture. To create this texture, don’t over bake! If you like a more gooey center, bake them a minute or two less. If you prefer a firmer, more cake-like texture, bake a minute or two longer.
For the best blondie bars, I recommend baking in a light colored 8x8 baking pan. Dark pans absorb more heat and can cause the edges to burn while the middle is undercooked.
Glass pans also distribute the heat differently and can have similar results to dark colored baking pans. If baking in glass, it’s recommended to lower the temperature by 25°F and bake for a few minutes longer.
Remember your oven is different from mine and the baking time may be slightly different. I use this oven thermometer to ensure my oven is at the temperature I think it is.
🫙how to store
Carrot cake blondies will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
The blondie bars can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Freeze in an airtight container and allow to defrost before serving.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these soft and chewy Carrot Cake Blondies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Soft and Chewy Carrot Cake Blondies
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams in parenthesis DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
carrot cake blondies
- ¾ cup packed grated carrots* (100g) - pat them dry with paper towels
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted (170g)
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar** (300g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (219g)
cream cheese frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature (113g)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature OR browned and solidified (4 tablespoons/56g)
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar (180g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the blondies: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. (If wanting brown butter cream cheese frosting, brown the butter now. Instructions for the frosting start at #8)
- Grate the carrots (¾ cup/100g/about 2 carrots) using the small holes on a box grater. Then lay between paper towels and blot out most of the moisture.
- In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the melted butter (¾ cup/170g), packed brown sugar (1 ½ cups/300g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) until well combined.
- Then add in the eggs (2 large), and vanilla (2 teaspoons). Scrape up and down the bowl as needed and whisk until combined, about 1 minute. Now add the cinnamon (1 ½ teaspoons), ginger (½ teaspoon) and nutmeg (¼ teaspoon) and whisk to combine.
- Next add the all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cup/219g) and mix with a spatula until some large flour streaks remain. Then add the grated and dried carrots (¾ cup/100g/approximately 2 carrots) and gently fold them into the blondie dough until combined.
- Drop the batter (it’s thick) into the prepared baking pan and smooth to an even layer.
- Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until the edges have lightly browned and a tester in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. You do not want a clean/dry tester, which means the blondies are over baked. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack. (If you want to speed up the cooling process, place the pan in the refrigerator once you can pick it up with bare hands).
- For the cream cheese frosting: If wanting to brown the butter, place the cut cubes of cold unsalted butter (¼ cup/4 tablespoons/56g) into a light colored sauce pan and place over medium heat and let it cook until small brown flakes form. You will want to stir or swirl the pan frequently after the butter has fully melted to keep it from burning. The butter will foam and bubble up along the process, just keep stirring/swirling and move the foam aside from time to time to check the color. The butter will turn an amber/brown color and will smell nutty and toasted when it's ready; it should take about 5-8 minutes. Pour melted butter and all the browned bits into a small heatproof bowl and place in the refrigerator. You want the brown butter solidified before making the frosting.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, beat the cream cheese (4 ounces/113g) on medium-high until creamy, about 1 minute. Then add the room temperature butter OR solidified brown butter (¼ cup/4 tablespoons/56g) and beat on medium-high until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape up and down the bowl, then the confectioners’ sugar (1 ½ cups/180g). Mix on low until the sugar is incorporated, then add the vanilla (1 teaspoon) and beat on medium high for another 1-3 minutes until the buttercream is smooth.
- Spread the frosting over the fully cooled carrot cake blondies.
- Then use the parchment to pull the bars out of the pan and cut into desired sizes. For the cleanest slices, chill the blondies with cream cheese frosting before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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