Carrot Cake Protein Bars

Brown carrot protein bar with a bite out of it drizzled with white cream cheese glaze all cut into rectangles.

Too many of my friends love carrot cake, so it was time to create a protein bar with all wholesome ingredients to make at home. These are high in protein from the almond flour, oats, hemp hearts, and flax seeds.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Servings: bars

Author: Danika Vanderpyl

Equipment

9x13 pan

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 ½ cups almond flour
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup sugar (I use coconut sugar)
⅓ cup ground flax seeds
⅓ cup hemp hearts
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

1 cup carrot grated
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup oil (I use melted coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze

1 tablespoon cream cheese
½ cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit (175°C). In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, almond flour, rolled oats, sugar, ground flax seeds, hemp hearts, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together until everything is well combined.
Fold in the grated carrots, then add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until the mixture is smooth and combined.
Spread the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 9x13-inch rectangular pan, pressing it into the corners. Wet your hands slightly with water and use them to smooth the top. Bake at 350°Fahrenheit (175C) for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown; the middle may look a little less cooked, but it will become firm when it cools. Let the bars fully cool, cut them into rectangles, and cover with glaze.
Glaze: In a small bowl, use a spatula to soften and spread the cream cheese. Add the icing sugar and stir together - it will be thick. Then add the milk and stir to get any lumps out. Place this cream cheese glaze in the corner of a small plastic bag. Use scissors to cut a very small part off the corner of the bag to drizzle the icing over the bars. The glaze will harden after a little while.

Notes

For step-by-step photos and notes about the ingredients I picked for this recipe, scroll up to the blog post.

Dairy-free: To make these carrot cake bars dairy-free, use water instead of milk and skip the cream cheese glaze.

Storage: Keep these bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge up to 7 days. If you want to keep them fresh longer, freeze them for up to 6 months. I like to wrap them individually and put them in the freezer so they are ready to grab and go.

*A glass baking pan does not bake as evenly in the middle. I recommend using a metal pan so these bars bake evenly.

Nutrition