Scott’s Carrot Cake Bars
Prep and Cook time: 50-60 minutes | Serves 9-10
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, melted
1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped, optional
Cheesecake Swirl
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside. You can also line the pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick baking spray.
Carrot Cake Bars
Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. If needed, microwave for another 15 seconds to melt the butter completely.
In a medium bowl, add the melted butter and brown sugar. Mix to combine. Stir in the egg and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Stir until completely combined. Fold in the shredded carrots and chopped nuts. Set aside.
Cheesecake Swirl
In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy.
Assembly
Add about half of the carrot cake batter into the pan and spread it out with an offset spatula.
Add half of the cheesecake batter to the carrot cake batter. Do this by dropping dollops of batter over the carrot cake batter. Don’t swirl yet.
Add the remaining carrot cake batter on top of the cheesecake batter. Add the remaining cheesecake batter by adding dollops on top of the carrot cake batter. Using a knife or skewer, swirl the batters together until you’re happy with the design.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. There will be very little jiggle to the center.
Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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