Carrot Cake Blondies – Deliciously moist and dense blondies that are stuffed full of carrots, perfectly spiced, and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting!

Overhead shot of carrot cake blondies topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans on parchment paper.

Easter may have past, but surely you are still enjoying all things carrot cake this Spring! Because, today I am bringing you my incredible Carrot Cake Blondies. Perfectly moist and dense blondies that are full of grated carrots, deliciously spiced, and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting.

Mmmmm.

Cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies in a foil-lined square pan topped with chopped pecans.
Cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies topped with chopped pecans on parchment paper.

These Carrot Cake Blondies are:

  • super quick and easy to make
  • chewy and dense
  • full of delicious, warming flavours
  • topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting

I used my favourite Blondie base for these carrot bars, because it creates the most deliciously chewy and dense blondies that you are going to love. I absolutely love this carrot cake version as it’s so full of flavour, and topped with my favourite kind of frosting – cream cheese!

Two stacked cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies topped with chopped pecans on parchment paper.
Overhead shot of two stacked cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies with chopped pecans on parchment paper.

These Carrot Cake Blondies are super quick and easy to make, and only take about 25 minutes in the oven. Let them cool, frost them, then devour. These blondies are even more delicious and chewier on day two!

A stack of two cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies with a bite taken out of the top one on parchment paper.
Overhead shot of a stack of two cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies with a bite taken out of the top one on parchment paper.
Carrot Cake Blondies - Deliciously moist and dense blondies that are stuffed full of carrots, perfectly spiced, and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting! #carrotcake #blondierecipes

More carrot cake recipes to try next!

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A stack of two cream cheese frosted carrot cake blondies with a bite taken out of the top one on parchment paper.
Simply Bake

Carrot Cake Blondies

Deliciously moist and dense blondies that are stuffed full of carrots, perfectly spiced, and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting!
Author: Marsha
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients

For the Blondies

  • 1 ½ cups (190g) plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) caster/granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large carrot, grated (about 4oz / 125g)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup (112g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups (312g) icing/powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Walnuts or pecans, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

For the Blondies

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the butter and sugars until smooth and combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and whisk vigorously until smooth and combined. Whisk in the flour until combined, then fold in the grated carrots.
  • Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add half of the icing sugar, and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the remaining icing sugar, and beat until light and fluffy.
  • Spread the frosting over the top of the blondies, sprinkle with chopped walnuts/pecans, then remove from the pan and cut into squares.

Recipe Notes

Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight the in fridge before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1barCalories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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16 Comments

  1. Phenomenal recipe. I made these for my sons Ironman competition. I used small silicone canele molds. Using this size allows for the dough to somewhat carmelize on the outside and remain chewy in the middle. I bake them at a higher temperature also. They hold together well in the back pocket of his cycling/running shirt and are a “one grab” sensation (no biting into it- just popped them in his mouth). I made them a week ahead of time and froze them. They tasted great 4 days post defrost. He had some incredible fuel sources to chose from and these have become his #1. Would love to try a banana version. Thinking maybe dehydrate the bananas till they are chewy. Great work Marsha!

  2. Hello I made these today but I didnt use greaseproof paper or tinfoil I did grease the tray as was a non stick but then of course struggled getting out once cooled and it all crumbled and fell apart so my partner suggested to do it in a jar and I thought I could layer the cake mix in between the frosting. Any suggestion as to why this happened? It tastes sooo good though

  3. Hello, Marsha!
    I’m so glad I stumbled upon this recipe just in time for fall equinox in our hemisphere. Especially now in times of quarantine, I can’t use my ingredients to bake my cookies for sale, so I decided to use what we have anyway to welcome the colder season. They sound wonderfully easy and I can’t wait to bake them tonight.
    Thanks a lot and take care of yourself.
    Yuna

  4. These were absolutely amazing. Chewy, dense, not cloyingly sweet, and super flavorful. I would suggest going by the gram measurements for the carrot, as one large carrot wasn’t enough. I also had to bake these for about 10-15 minutes longer than suggested, but that could just be because I have an old oven! I will definitely be making these again!

  5. WOW ! This is very easy and same as any other more complicated Carrots cake ! Deferentially repeat this recipe.

    Thank you !!

  6. I can’t stop thinking about these pretty, little blondies Marsha. The Mr. and I love carrot cake. . .as a matter of fact it’s our favorite cake. . .so these beauties are right up our alley. And that cream cheese frosting. . .mmmm.. . I want to slather it on everything.

  7. Marsha, these sound so tasty! Love that you went ahead and upgraded carrot cake by combining it with a blondie! I’m seriously drooling over these! Hope you had a wonderful Easter with your family. 🙂 Wishing you an awesome weekend! xoxo

  8. Oh my gosh! These look amazing! My family is big on carrot cake — I’ll have to make these for them soon 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!