Description
These Carrot Cake Bars have all the classic flavors of your favorite carrot cake recipe, yet are made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. Drizzle with our homemade cream cheese frosting for a sweet final touch, then enjoy for breakfast or dessert all Spring long.
Ingredients
Dry
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- ¼ cup oat flour
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
Wet
- 1 chia “egg” (1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water)
- 1/2 cup organic Medjool dates, pitted and packed
- ¼ cup organic unsweetened applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup grated carrots
- 2 tablespoon raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese (we used Kite Hill)
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (+ more as needed to thin)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350°F and line a small 8×6″ baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a small cup or bowl, prepare the chia egg. Mix together the chia seeds and water and set aside to thicken, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients until uniform and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the dates, applesauce, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar. Process until everything is well combined. Add the dry ingredients and the chia egg and process it until uniform. (see notes)
- Add the dough back into the large bowl that the dry ingredients were in and mix in the shredded carrots. Using wet hands, mix everything together until uniform. It will become a cookie dough-like consistency.
- Transfer the dough to the lined baking dish and press it in tightly with a spatula or wet spoon, evening out the top as much as possible.
- Place it in the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
- In the meantime, prepare the frosting. Sift the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl and add in the remaining ingredients. Whisk everything together until smooth and add more almond milk as needed to reach your desired consistency. Set aside.
- Once the bars have cooled, transfer them to a cutting board and cut it into your desired size of bars. We cut ours into 10 small bars. Drizzle it with the cream cheese frosting as desired.
- Transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Notes
- If you would like the bar to be more chunky (as pictured), refrain from adding the dry mix into the food processor. Instead, add it to the large bowl and proceed with the remaining steps.
- We used a 6 cup Pyrex dish for baking.
- The nutrition facts for this recipe take into consideration all of the frosting.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes