I am sitting over here on Spring Break and enjoying every single minute of it! As of this moment, I am sipping on coffee that’s been blended up with cashews and a few drops of vanilla stevia ….and I feel like it’s pure indulgence! The look of the frothy mug alone, makes me feel like I’m drinking a $9 cappuccino! Seriously though – if you haven’t tried this, I highly suggest it….it’s so freakin’ creamy!
I started out this week on Friday, because we all know that the weight of the world falls off your shoulders when you realize that the weekend can be all about fun and leisure (if desired) because we know we don’t have to get ready for the work week. I am a planner so I try and get things done on both Saturday and Sunday that will lessen the load of the week ahead — BUT knowing that I didn’t have to “prepare” for the upcoming week, I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend and am getting things done a little at a time, day by day.
I spent my Saturday morning whipping up these Carrot Cake Bars because I was craving carrot cake and lazy me, didn’t want to wait for cake to bake — so raw bars it is!
I’m not gonna lie – if you like a pungent carrot cake, you will find these a little tame. My husband doesn’t like carrot cake but I really wanted him to like and eat these so I wasn’t as liberal as I would have liked to have been with the spices and carrot. There is definitely a carrot cakey vibe but again, if you’re looking for that punch of flavor, these will pale in comparison. As much as I like a pronounced flavor, I will admit that I will probably always make these ‘as is’ because they as tasty as heck and are a great sweet treat addition, any time of year – whether you like carrot cake or not. And btw, my hubby did like them!
As noted in the recipe, I use Kite Hill Cream “Cheese” and it’s perfect for me as I don’t eat regular cream cheese but if you can do regular and/or prefer it, feel free! I’m sure it’ll work right along with these bars as well.
Welp. I am going to finish up here and get my doggie out for a walk! The sun is out and my calendar is open for the rest of the day – woo hoo! (….and I’m sure I’ll be ending the day with a carrot cake bar in hand!)
- 2 cups coconut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon**
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg**
- 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup refined coconut oil
- 1/2 cup finely grated carrots**
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup cashew milk (-/+)
- Cream “Cheese” Frosting
- 8 oz (1 tub) Kite Hill Cream “Cheese”*
- 2 tbsp raw honey (give or take ...depends on your sweet tooth)
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 3 tbsp roughly chopped walnuts
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add in the wet...and it doesn’t need to be fully incorporated (see next step). It’ll be thick!
- In 2 batches, transfer to blender or food processor and whip til smooth. Repeat with remaining batter. Place all back into the bowl to combine the 2 batches.
- Plop onto a parchment lined 8x8 baking dish. With the back of a big spoon or rubber spatula, press down out to compress ...and to even out. You might want to dip the spoon in water or even use damp fingers to create the smooth and even top.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- While in fridge, whip up the cream “cheese" with honey, cinnamom until smooth and creamy. Layer onto Carrot Cake. Top with walnuts if desired. Place back into refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes.
- Carefully pull the parchment paper out of baking dish and slice into 9 bars or more, for bite sized deliciousness! Keep stored in refrigerator.
- *If you prefer to use regular cream cheese, feel free!
- **Add a pinch more of these spices if you'd like a bit more punch, as well as 1/4 cup more of the shredded carrots.
