Name: Carrot Cake Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 8-oz fat free cream cheese, softened (226g); 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (31g); 1/4 cup Swerve confectioners sugar (36g); 1/2 cup light butter, softened (112g); 1/2 cup Swerve brown sugar (96g); 1/4 cup Swerve granular sweetener (48g); 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 large egg; 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (122g); 1 cup grated carrots (100g); 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (180g); 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (31g); 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/8 tsp salt; 3 Tbsp chopped pecans (24g)

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Carrot Cake Blondies are the perfectly indulgent bite of sweet and spicy carrot cake you didn’t know you needed. They’re thick, dense, and melt right in your mouth. And paired with creamy cheese cake frosting? INCREDIBLE! Lightened up and just 140 calories a bar, they’re amazingly delicious!

Not to be dramatic or anything…but I can almost guarantee you that these Carrot Cake Blondies are one of the best things you will ever eat. It’s like a carrot cake and a dense sugar cookie bar had a baby! They’re soooo amazingly delicious and are number 2 of my top 5 favorite recipes from my new Cookies, Brownies, Blondies, and Bars sweets cookbook!

These Carrot Cake Blondies are a perfectly indulgent bite of sweet and spicy carrot cake. They’re thick, dense, and melt right in your mouth, releasing the most delicious flavor. And paired with creamy cheese cake frosting? INCREDIBLE! But my favorite part? They’re not overly sweet and truly strike the most wonderful balance.

I also love how these Carrot Cake Blondies can be enjoyed any time of the year. They’re a fun (and easier) switch up from traditional carrot cake and are great for the fall and in the summertime. The flavors even are perfect for a delicious Christmas dessert!

They are out of this world and I absolutely insist you give them a try!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE CARROT CAKE BLONDIES

You get thick, moist, and dense carrot cake flavor with hints of crunchy pecans and cream cheese in each bite!
Taste just like a carrot cake! Perfectly spiced with subtly sweet.
All the greatness of a carrot cake in an easy-to-bake batch of blondies!
Lightened up and only 140 calories per bar. 🙌🏼
THEY ARE SO FREAKING GOOD!!!

INGREDIENTS

Carrots – We have to use carrots in carrot cake blondies! Finely grated brings about the best results.
Protein powder – I used PEScience Vanilla for both the blondies and the cream cheese frosting. Their Snickerdoodle flavor in the blondies is also delicious. It adds another small hint of sweet spice! If you want to use another brand of protein powder, just make sure it is also a whey + casein blend. Not all protein powders bake the same, so make sure you use a protein powder you know bakes well. You can use my affiliate code Laurenfitfoodie to save 15% off your purchase of any PEScience products.
Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you need to substitute another flour, I recommend using a 1:1 gluten-free flour. Almond and oat flour will likely work texture-wise, but I have not tried them so I can’t say. If you do try another flour, let me and other readers know in the comments!
Brown sugar – The flavor works really well in these blondies. I used Swerve Brown Sugar. Feel free to substitute a normal brown sugar or another brown sugar alternative.
Sweetener – While brown sugar adds a lot of dimension, it’s not as sweet as a standard sweetener. This is where a normal “white” sweetener comes into play. I used Swerve Granular Sweetener. You can use whatever sweetener you would like here.
Baking essentials – You’ll need vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
Egg – Helps provide structure to our blondies.
Unsweetened applesauce – For sweetness and a moist texture.
Light butter – I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light. If you need to substitute something else, use normal butter or oil. Without some fat, the blondies won’t be as gooey.
Chopped pecans – For a classic crunch! 😉
Cream cheese – I used fat-free cream cheese. Feel free to use regular cream cheese, reduced-fat, Neufchatel (Greek cream cheese), or vegan cream cheese.
Confectioner’s sugar – I used Swerve Confectioner’s Sugar. Normal confectioner’s sugar or another calorie-free confectioner’s sugar blend would also work.

HOW TO MAKE

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and/or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
For the Carrot Cake Blondies: In a large bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetener, and vanilla; beat with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth. Add the egg and applesauce and beat again, then fold in the carrots. Add in the flour, protein powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt and whisk just until combined. Fold in chopped pecans. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set. Let cool completely in the pan before removing and frosting. Once cooled to room temperature, you can place the blondies in the fridge for an hour until ready to frost, too. You don’t want to rush the cooling!
Make your frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add in the protein powder and confectioner’s sugar and beat until the dry ingredients are incorporated and batter is smooth.
Frost! Once blondies have cooled, add the frosting and spread evenly across. Then place in the fridge, covered, for at least 4 hours before serving. When ready to serve, sprinkle with pecans, if desired, and cut into bars.

TIPS FOR THE BEST CARROT CAKE BLONDIES

Let chill over night. For the best results, make the blondies and let them sit in the fridge overnight. They are good when you frost them after they’ve cooled off from the oven, but I promise you they are 10x better when they are chilled and the flavors have had time to come together.
Finely grate the carrots. Get them as fine as you can. It will result in a more dense and moist texture.
Don’t over-bake. These blondies actually still bake some when you remove them from the oven. I recommend taking them out when the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. This will result in the most gooey texture! Baking until the toothpick comes out totally clean will result in a more cakey blondie, which is not what we’re going for.

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Yield: 12