Carrot Cake Bars
User Reviews
5
Carrot Cake Bars
Description
The Carrot Cake Bars recipe begins by caramelizing shredded carrots in maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon, and vegan butter until excess moisture evaporates, concentrating natural sweetness. Meanwhile, dry ingredients including all-purpose and almond flours, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, orange zest, and chopped dates are combined to form a spiced base.
Wet ingredients: a flaxseed mixture, sugar, non-dairy milk, oil, and vanilla extract are mixed into the dry base to create a batter with a consistency similar to muffin batter. The caramelized carrots are folded in before baking. A topping of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans adds texture and flavor after baking or before baking depending on preference.
The resulting bars have a moist, tender crumb with warm spices, bright orange aroma, and sweet bursts from dates. The pecan topping brings a crunchy finish. These bars can be served as dessert or an on-the-go snack. Optional cream cheese drizzle can be added for extra creaminess and sweetness.
Variations include substitutions for nut or gluten allergies, adjusting milk and flour types accordingly. Baking in a pan instead of as bars can produce a carrot cake. The recipe also allows skipping the oil, using applesauce or yogurt as binders. The bars are best enjoyed fresh but can be stored appropriately.
Ingredients
For the caramelized carrots
- 2 to 2 ½ cups carrot grated or shredded
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vegan butter or oil
For the dry ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- orange zest of half a small orange or half of lime
- ¼ cup dates chopped
For the wet ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax seed meal mixed in with 3 tablespoons of water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup nondairy milk or more
- 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 to 4 tablespoons pecans chopped
Instructions
- Make your caramelized carrots: add all of the ingredients under carrots to a skillet over medium heat and mix really well until the butter melts, and the maple syrup and sugar coat the carrots.
- Continue to cook for 13-15 minutes or until the carrots don’t feel liquidity. The carrots will keep leaking moisture into the mixture so you just want the maple to get absorbed into the carrots and the excess moisture to evaporate.
- It shouldn’t be absolutely dry but it should also not have any kind of film of water on the skillet. Then take off heat.
- Make the cake bar batter: In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients, the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, salt and mix well.
- To the bowl of the flour ingredients add the flax egg, sugar, oil, vanilla and ¾ cup nondairy milk. Mix until almost combined, if the mixture is too thick add in another tablespoon of milk. You want it to be like muffin batter, you don’t want it too thin like a pancake batter but slightly thick
- Then add in the dates, and zest. Add in 3/4 of caramelized carrots and mix in.
- Transfer to parchment line, 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish. Even it out. Top with the remaining carrot mixture.
- Make the topping: In a bowl mix the cinnamon sugar topping by mixing the sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Then sprinkle this all over the batter. Then bake at 350F (170C) for 35-40 minutes.
- Check at 35-minute mark, if the toothpick comes out clean or almost clean then it’s done.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool for another 10-15 mins then slice and serve.Storage: store on the counter for the day in a covered container. Refrigerate for upto 5 days
Notes
- Optionally add a vegan cream cheese drizzle for extra moistness and sweetness.
- For nut-free version, omit pecans and almond flour, replacing almond flour with more all-purpose flour.
- For gluten-free, substitute half almond and oat flours with potato starch and adjust milk to include club soda for texture.
- To make oil-free, omit oil and replace with applesauce or non-dairy yogurt to maintain moisture.
- These bars can be baked as a traditional carrot cake in an 8- or 9-inch round pan as well.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 9Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 220 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 220kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 31g | 10% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 131mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 257mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 17g | 34% |
| Vitamin A | 6021IU | 120% |
| Vitamin C | 4mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 82mg | 8% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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