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Carrot Cake Blondies

Byadmin

If you love carrot cake but don’t always have the time or patience to bake and frost a layered cake, these Carrot Cake Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting are about to become your new favorite dessert. They have all the cozy flavors you’d expect—sweet carrots, warm spices, and a rich cream cheese topping—but in an easy-to-make bar form that’s perfect for sharing.

What I love most about these blondies is how they strike the perfect balance between simple and impressive. The blondie base is soft, chewy, and packed with carrot cake flavor, while the tangy cream cheese frosting adds just the right amount of sweetness. Whether you’re baking for Easter, a spring gathering, a bake sale, or simply craving a comforting homemade treat, these bars never last long once they’re on the table.

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beautiful-carrot-cake-blondie_10kEuxlPQFyP5o9j30cPKQ_p2jywNdiTrm9-fViiOqCwA

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 27 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the Carrot Cake Blondies

  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1¼ cups packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup finely grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (optional)
  • ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2–2½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • zest of ½ orange or lemon for brightness
  • extra chopped nuts or a dusting of cinnamon for garnish

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting. Lightly grease parchment.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally until it turns lightly golden and smells nutty — about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. Stir the brown sugar into the warm butter until combined. Let cool 8–10 minutes before whisking in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Add the finely grated carrots to the batter and mix gently.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until no streaks remain — don’t overmix.
  6. Stir in nuts, coconut
  7. Spread batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 23–27 minutes, or until edges are set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
  8. Beat softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar gradually, then vanilla (and citrus zest if using); whip until light and fluffy.
  9. Once blondies are fully cooled, spread the frosting evenly over the top. Sprinkle with extra nuts or a touch of cinnamon if desired. Chill at least 1 hour before cutting into squares for clean edges.
  10. Serve chilled or at room temp. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Top Tips for Success

Grate the carrots finely so they bake evenly and don’t create large wet pockets. For best texture, use a microplane or the small side of a box grater.

Don’t skip chilling. Letting the frosted blondies rest in the fridge helps the bars slice cleanly — no smudged frosting edges.

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