Chewy, buttery blondies get festive carrot cake flair in this springtime treat. Filled with fresh grated carrot, a blend of warm spices, and crunchy chopped pecans and then slathered with Cream Cheese Frosting and garnished with more toasty pecans, these Carrot Cake Blondies are sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Carrot Cake Blondies
Makes 9 blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (234 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature and lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (147 grams) finely grated carrots (see Note)
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
- ½ cup (57 grams) chopped lightly toasted pecans
- Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
- Garnish: chopped lightly toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray with flour. Line pan with parchment paper, letting edges extend over sides of pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, melted butter, and eggs until smooth and well combined. Whisk in vanilla. Fold in carrots.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt, and ginger. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, and stir just until combined. Fold in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading with an offset spatula.
- Bake until edges are golden brown and center is set, 32 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Using excess parchment as handles, remove from pan, and spread Cream Cheese Frosting on top. Garnish with pecans, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Note: We used the smaller holes on a box grater to grate our carrots.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups (480 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-high speed until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, and add confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup (120 grams) at a time, beating until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add cream, and beat at medium-high speed until smooth. Use immediately.
