Carrot Cake Bars

 originally posted on https://www.cookiedoughandovenmitt.com/carrot-cake-bars/

Ingredients

• Carrot Cake Bars
• ½ cup butter melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• Cheesecake Swirl
• 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside. You can also line the pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick baking spray.
• Carrot Cake Bars
• Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. If needed, microwave another 15 seconds to melt the butter completely.
• In a medium bowl, add the melted butter and brown sugar. Mix to combine.
• Stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
• Add in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir until completely combined.
• Fold in the shredded carrots. Set aside.
• Cheesecake Swirl
• In a medium bowl, add in the cream cheese and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
• Add in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy.
• Assemble
• Add about half of the carrot cake batter into the pan and spread it out with an off-set spatula.
• Add half of the cheesecake batter to the carrot cake batter. Do this by dropping dollops of batter over the carrot cake batter. Don’t swirl yet.
• Add the remaining carrot cake batter on top of the cheesecake batter and around the cheesecake batter.
• Add the remaining cheesecake batter by adding dollops on top of the carrot cake batter.
• Using a knife or skewer, swirl the batters together. Swirl as much or as little as you like.
• Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. There will be very little jiggle to the center.
• Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.