Deliciously dense and chewycarrot cake blondies with a rich and tangy cheesecake swirl!
With Carrot Cake being one of my most favorite cakes ever, I’m always trying to figure out ways to incorporate its wonderfulflavorsinto something new ordifferent. This week, I decided to attempt blondies.
Notto be confused with Carrot Cake Bars, which are pretty much the same as carrot cake, but cut into squares. I basically wanted a brownie version of Carrot Cake–dense, fudgy, and chewy, which is exactly the result of these Carrot Cake Blondies…
They’ve got all the components of traditional Carrot Cake, but in blondie form. They’re also ten timeseasier to makethan a whole entire cake, and they come together in very little time!
The batter starts off simply by combining some melted butter and brown sugar. I used all brown sugar in these blondies for not only its delicious maple flavor, but also the extra moisture it provides to baked goods. I then added the usual ingredients–egg, vanilla, flour, and salt. As for the spices, I kept it simple by onlyadding cinnamon and just a pinch of ground cloves. Some people like to add nutmeg or ginger, but I wantedthe focus to be on the sweetness of the carrots rather than the spices. Speaking of…
Freshly-grated carrots is the ONLY way to go when it comes to anything carrot cake-related. Not only dothey provide much more flavor and moisture than the store-bought grated carrots, but the finer grate allows them to meltinto the batter better. It’s amazing how much natural sweetness just 3/4 of a cup of freshly-grated carrots can lendto a dessert.
While a lot ofCarrot Cake recipes call for raisins or pineapple, I decided to keep thingssimple yet again by leaving them out. I did, however, add chopped pecans to the batter for a nice little crunch. I believewalnuts are the more traditional nut in Carrot Cake, but I prefer the flavor of pecans so much more.
As opposed totopping these blondies with a cream cheese frosting, I instead addeda rich and creamy cheesecake swirl. Similar to cream cheese frosting, the cheesecake swirl provides an extra tang and sweetness which is complimentary to Carrot Cake, only it’s denser and baked into the blondies. The intertwining textures of fudgy blondies with smooth and creamy cheesecake is absolutely TO-DIE-FOR, people.
These Carrot Cake Blondies are also perfect for those who aren’t intooverly sweet or rich treats. They’ve got the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor from the carrots, and the perfect touch of spice from the cinnamon and cloves. And of course, you can’t forget the lusciously sweet and tangy cheesecake swirl to round it ALLout.
Carrot Cake Blondies
Deliciously dense and chewycarrot cake blondies with a rich and tangy cheesecake swirl!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Blondies
Ingredients
Cheesecake Swirl:
- 5 ounces cream cheese
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Blondies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup finely grated carrots
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of cloves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the Cheesecake Swirl:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beatthe cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla and continue beating until combined; set aside.
Make the Blondies:
In a largemixing bowl, stirthe butter and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir inthe carrots and pecans.Add the flour, cinnamon, salt, and cloves and stir until just combined.
Pour 2/3 of the blondie batter into prepared pan. Spoonabout 3/4 of the cheesecake batter in random dollopsallover the blondie batter. Pourthe remaining blondie batter on top of the cheesecake batter, followed by dollops of the remaining cheesecake batter.
Using a knife or skewer, sparingly swirl figure-eights throughout the pan. Bake in the oven for 30minutes, or until the center is set, and not jiggly when you gently shake it. Allow blondies to coolcompletely before removing and slicing into squares.
Notes
*Stored in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, blondies will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
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