Carrot Cake Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 50

Servings:

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Lauren

These Healthy Carrot Cake Blondies taste JUST like a carrot cake and a dense, buttery sugar cookie bar had a baby! They're dense, chewy, perfectly sweet and spiced and melt right in your mouth. Plus, they're lightened up but you'd never know it for a second.

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Ingredients

Carrot Cake Blondies:

1/2 cup light butter (112g) softened
1/2 cup brown sugar substitute (96g) or brown sugar
1/4 cup granular sweetener (48g) or sugar
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) use gluten-free flour if needed
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (30g)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chopped pecans (24g)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8- oz fat free cream cheese (226g) softened
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (30g)
1/4 cup Swerve confectioners sugar (36g)

Instructions

For the Carrot Cake Blondies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and/or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
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.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set. Be careful not to over-bake!
Let cool completely before adding frosting or the frosting may melt. You don't want to rush the cooling!

For the Cream Cheese 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 confectioners sugar and beat again until the dry ingredients are incorporated and batter is smooth. Keep frosting stored in the fridge until blondies are ready to 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.

Notes

These blondies are best the next day, chilled, after the texture has set and the flavors have come together overnight. Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

If you use 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese instead of fat free:

162 calories 14.9C | 7.7F | 8.2P
MFP entry: LFF Carrot Cake Blondies with RF

To make these blondies dairy-free, sub vegan butter for the regular butter and omit the cream frosting or sub dairy-free cream cheese.

Nutrition