Decadent Carrot Cake Bars (Printable Version)

Moist, spiced carrot cake bars topped with luscious cream cheese frosting—perfect portable treat for any occasion.

# What You Need:

→ Carrot Cake Bars

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→ Cream Cheese Frosting

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# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until well blended.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
04 - Fold the grated carrots into the wet mixture until evenly distributed.
05 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts if using.
06 - Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
08 - Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
09 - Beat cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt; beat until smooth and fluffy.
10 - Spread the frosting evenly over the completely cooled bars. Lift out of pan using parchment paper, cut into 16 squares, and serve.

# Expert Advice:

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  • The texture walks this perfect line between dense cake and fudgy bar, topped with frosting that manages to be rich without weighing everything down
  • You get all the spiced comfort of traditional carrot cake without the anxiety of stacking and frosting layers
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  • Completely cool means completely cool—warm cake melts cream cheese frosting into a sad, slippery mess that slides right off
  • Finely grated carrots make all the difference between elegant bars and something that looks like it has shredded confetti inside
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  • Grate your carrots by hand instead of using a food processor—the finer, more delicate texture makes a noticeable difference in the final crumb
  • Let the frosted bars set for at least 30 minutes before cutting so you get clean edges instead of frosting smears everywhere

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