Carrot Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

Cecily is taking Culinary Careers as one of her electives this semester at her middle school.  This week the class made Carrot Bars with homemade cream cheese icing and Cecily wanted to make them at home for us!  She made them this afternoon and I wanted to share her recipe here with you.

Carrot Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup applesauce

2 jars baby food carrots (4 oz. size)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 chopped nuts (chopped)

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Icing

1/4 cup soft margarine

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

3 ounces light cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 13 X 9 inch pan.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, applesauce, baby food carrots, 2 beaten eggs, and vanilla, using an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Beat all the ingredients together till thoroughly combined.

Add nuts and stir.
Pour the mixture into the greased and floured pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean.

While the bars bake, make the icing:  combine the margarine, powdered sugar, light cream cheese, and vanilla.  Beat with an electric mixer until creamy.

After the bars are baked and cool, spread with the icing.

Cecily then let them cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to let the icing set on the bars. 

THESE WERE SO GOOD!  They were very moist and the icing was out of this world good.  I mean anything with cream cheese in it has to be, right?

Anyway, there were a few gone in a matter of minutes...

"Daddddeeeeeee, want biiiiiiitttttttteeeeee!"

"Yes, that's better daddy!"

Cecily says that pumpkin pie filling can be substituted for the carrot very easily, turning them into Pumpkin Bars!  Hope you'll try this dessert.  IT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!!

What favorite Fall desserts do you enjoy making?