Soft Glazed Carrot Cake Bars — Super soft carrot cake bars that taste like blondies packed with chewy carrots! So good and a must-make!
Table of Contents
These bars are like carrot cake blondies because of how buttery and rich they are. I used my go-to blondies base recipe as the jumping off point. 30+ versions of blondies later, it’s proven to be the most highly adaptable dough or batter base I have.
It’s an easy, no-mixer recipe and the bars are much faster than making a whole carrot cake, and don’t make nearly the quantity!
I finished the bars with a cream cheese drizzle. Since the carrot bars are so soft and moist from the juicy carrots and from the brown sugar which also helps them stay tender, they don’t need gobs of frosting.
These carrot cake bars are comforting, homey, packed with flavor, and the carrots add so much chewy texture. Even though there are no oats used, the bars remind me of my favorite oatmeal cookies that are super chewy with tons of texture, yet still extremely soft.
Ingredients for This Recipe
To make this easy spring dessert, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Spices
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Grated carrots
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Cream cheese
- Milk
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Shredded Carrots Tip
I grated three large carrots for the bars because store-bought bagged shredded carrots are usually coarse and thick, and don’t bake up very nicely. Not to mention, they’re coated with preservatives, and grating your own only takes a couple minutes and it’s worth it.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bars
- Melt the butter, then stir in the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt.
- Add the flour and grated carrots, then turn into a greased 8×8-inch baking pan.
- Bake the carrot cake bars until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Once the carrot bars are out of the oven, you can whisk together the cream cheese glaze and drizzle it on top.
Glaze Tip
Note that the carrot cake bars need to cool for at least 30 minutes before drizzling with glaze. Otherwise the glaze will slide off!
FAQs
Yes! It’s not a typo! These carrot cake bars are robustly flavored with one tablespoon cinnamon, and one-half teaspoon each of ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves before folding in as many carrots as the batter can hold.
It’s a peeve of mine when carrot or pumpkin recipes are bland, so I always add enough spices so you know they’re there, without being overwhelming. This is dessert and I want it to taste as such, not like a pan of baked carrots, which is a likely result if you don’t season properly.
I kept out all raisins, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, or anything else. If you want to start doctoring up the carrot cake bars with your favorite add-ins, go for it. About 1/2 cup to 1 cup total of whatever you choose will likely work just fine.
You likely can, although I haven’t tried it myself. You’d need to bake the carrot bars in a 9×13-inch baking dish in that case.
A few readers have asked about using oil in place of the 1/2 cup of butter used in this recipe. I’m not sure if oil is a good substitute here since it’d make the carrot bars even moister — and they’re already incredibly moist as is!
Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
These carrot bars get better on the second and third day because the flavors marry and they get softer over time from the moisture in the carrots. If you can manage to save yourself a wedge or two for days two and three, you’re going to be extra thankful you did. I hoarded the last wedge like gold.
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Soft Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
Bars
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon, not teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups grated carrots, measured loosely (about 3 -4 med/large carrots, peeled and trimmed; grate your own rather than using storebought bagged carrots for best results)
- about 1/2 to 1 cup optional add-ins, nuts, dried fruit, raisins, etc.
Cream Cheese Glaze
- about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar + more if necessary for consistency
- 1 heaping tablespoon cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- splash cream or milk, optional and only if necessary for consistency
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
For the Bars:
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, optional salt, and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Add carrots and stir to combine.
- Add any optional add-ins and stir to combine.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for about 30 minutes before glazing.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, butter, and whisk vigorously until smooth. As necessary, add additional sugar (if glaze seems too thin) or splash of milk (if it seems too thick) to reach desired consistency.
- Optionally, add glaze to a squirt bottle and evenly glaze the bars, or simply add glaze using a spoon. Optionally, evenly spread the glaze in a thin coating over the bars, noting you will cover up the visual appeal of the carrot flecks.
Notes
- I’m comfortable storing glazed bars at room temp, but if you’re not, store them in fridge noting they will dry out more rapidly.
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Bars get softer on days 2 and 3 and the flavors marry; I think they peak 1-2 days after baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Carrot Cake Desserts:
ALL OF MY CARROT CAKE-INSPIRED RECIPES!
Spiced Carrot Oatmeal Cookies — All the flavors of richly spiced carrot cake, but in cookie form! Soft, chewy, extremely moist, and not at all cakey! The cookies are loaded with oats, spices, grated carrots, and butterscotch chips!
Carrot Banana Bread — EASY, no-mixer, super soft banana carrot bread that reminds me of carrot cake but healthier!! Great Easter brunch idea or spring baked good!
Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — A tender and moist classic two-layer carrot cake with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting! For anyone who loves carrot cake, this cake looks and tastes so impressive but is EASY to make!
Salted Caramel Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, tender carrot cake infused with salted caramel sauce and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting is the ULTIMATE in decadence!
Carrot Apple Bread — Carrot cake with apples added and baked as a bread so it’s healthier! Super moist, packed with flavor, fast and easy!
Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, moist carrot cake that’s baked as a loaf. So much faster & easier than baking a cake!
So dense and amazing looking!
These look like they would be the PERFECT snack!! YUM!!
Carrot cake bars that are like blondies? Amazing! I love how you made them into triangles too. Looks so moist and chewy, which is the best!
I’m a fool for anything carrot cake, Averie – I make carrot cake as my birthday cake each year! (Yes, I bake my own cake.) I have to try it in blondie form. Love the triangle shapes – so fun!
Sally these were so, so good. I seriously loved them. Def my favorite carrot cake thing I’ve ever made. I love dense, thick stuff like this as opposed to light and fluffy any day, so these were hoarded :)
Well you know I’m in love with these! They’re super gorgeous, and I think I love bars like this MORE than actual carrot cake!!
I know you have a carrot cake blondies recipe and yes Dorothy me too, I loved these more than cake. They’re my favorite carrot cake thing I’ve ever made. I love dense, thick stuff like this as opposed to light and fluffy any day!
Carrot cake blondies? Amazing! Pinned :-)
Thanks for pinning!
Your love for carrot cake is totally paralleled with mine. Another reason to love ya, girl!! These bars look FAB!
Glad you can appreciate it, too :)
Love the idea of carrot cake in a bar, but the texture not at all cakey. Perfect! That gorgeous cream cheese glaze just completes these beautiful bars. Pinned! :)
Thanks for pinning!
Oooh! I haven’t delved into your carrot cake recipes at all. Must.correct.that. I bet a carrot cake pancake recipe would also be nummy …
Carrot cake blondies? Yes please! These look and sound fantastic! I love anything carrot cake. I made sandwich cookies not too long ago. So good!
Oh carrot sandwich cookies sound great – like a pumpkin whoopie pie but with texture I bet!
Yes to carrot cake … that isn’t cake! :) I love how thick and fudgy these are! I think both carrot and banana based baked goods always taste better after a couple days. But I usually don’t have the self control! ;)
Thick and fudgy is right, if something non-chocolate can be fudgy, these were it! And yes to what you said about carrot and banana (and pumpkin) stuff being better as time passes if you have the control :)
Carrot cake flavor in a blondie–Jon and I would love these…and our anniversary is tomorrow so I might have to make a treat of some kind. These are very different and would be pretty quick to whip up.
Super fast to whip up and happy anniversary, Paula!! I hope you two have a wonderful weekend and hopefully you’re able to do something fun! And yes, definitely don’t work too hard in the kitchen on your anniversary and these aren’t hard. If you try them now, or ever, LMK! I loved these things – my fave ‘carrot cake’ recipe to date.
I am a carrot cake junkie–you are speaking my language with these bars!
These look super moist. I love carrot cake because it’s an excuse to eat more raisins which I’m addicted to.
They’d be great in here. Some people hate them so I kept them out but I wanted to put them in these. Next time!
Love the spices in there! I haven’t had carrot cake in ages, and these bars seem way more portable. (Meaning I could put some in my pocket for emergencies…)
Exactly on the portable factor. They were so portable that I brought some to a friend’s house and we were sitting there drinking coffee and I dug into my own ‘gift’…Loved these things! haha!
These bars look fabulous Averie and soo moist and nummy! I am looking forward to trying these and your vegan pumpkin cake because it always seems like I have tons of carrots hanging around in my fridge (and what better use for them? :D)! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning and that vegan pumpkin cake has 2 other similar recipes – muffins and a loaf – linked up in the post and the base recipe is *excellent*. You’d never know it was vegan; seriously great base that you can adapt to really anything, ie. cake, muffin, bread/loaf pan, and it always works!