Carrot cake blondies recipe

Our carrot cake blondies are the combination of two classic afternoon treats and they are ready in just three steps.

These carrot cake blondies are sure to become a new go-to bake in your household. Blondies are brownies made with white chocolate and are perfect for those with a sweet tooth. We've reimagined the recipe with a carrot cake base. Our cream cheese swirl topping is baked in the oven with the blondies but you could omit this if you prefer. This recipe makes 16.

Ingredients

• 150g butter
• 150g light brown sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 150g white chocolate, we used Green&Blacks
• 2 eggs
• 225g plain flour
• 2tbsp cinnamon
• 200g carrot, grated
• 75g desiccated coconut
• 75g pecans, roughly chopped

For the topping:

• 120g cream cheese
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• zest 1 orange

You will need:

• 20cm (8 inch) square tin, greased and lined with baking

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. In a medium saucepan melt the butter and sugar until dissolved. Add the chocolate and mix until combined. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool. In another bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, carrot, coconut and 50g pecans.  
2. Once the butter mixture is cool, whisk in the eggs. Then fold in the flour mixture. Beat the topping ingredients together until smooth.
3. Spoon blondie batter into your prepared tin. Spoon in half the cream cheese topping and mix into the blondie batter. Spoon over the remaining topping mixture and create a rough swirl. Sprinkle over the remaining pecans and bake for 30mins-35mins then leave to cool in the tin completely before cutting into squares.

Top tips for making carrot cake blondies:

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• If you prefer, you could omit the cream cheese swirl and top the brownies with a classic carrot cake cream cheese frosting
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• Swap the coconut for sultanas if you prefer or use a mix of both
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• Walnuts are a good substitute for pecans
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• Wrap the carrot cake blondies individually and freeze. You can gently warm in the oven for whenever you crave dessert, serve with ice cream for a decadent finish
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How do you tell if Blondies are cooked?

You will notice the edges of the batter pulling away from the tin when the blondies are cooked. You can also use the toothpick or skewer test to see if the centre of your blondies is cooked. If they come out clean the blondies are cooked, if the toothpick or skewer has batter on it they need longer in the oven.

The centre of the blondies will take slightly longer to cook so you will need to find the balance between ensuring the centre isn't raw and the outside blondies don't become too dry. We recommend cooking the blondies for around 35 minutes and this ensures they are safe to eat. Leave them to cool completely in the tin then chill for an hour in the fridge to ensure the texture is firm enough to cut and hold their shape.

Related features

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Carrot cake

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