Carrot & Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

(1 vote)
76 Comments
3 minutes
September 16, 2022
Carole Jones
A zucchini recipe that uses shredded carrots and zucchini together, so you know that these bars are going to be super moist and tender!  Think of them as if your favorite zucchini bread and carrot cake had a baby.  My kids call these zucchini brownies, but I’m not sure that fits since there is no chocolate.  The slather of yummy cream cheese frosting over each bar really makes these fabulous, but don’t you dare skip my secret ingredient in the frosting….
 Carrot and Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
 
I’ve been blogging for over 4 years now and the whole experience never fails to surprise me.
 
In less than 5 days, my post last week, Parmesan Chicken Bake became the most viewed recipe of all my 240 posts spanning 51 months.  I completely have Pinterest to thank, but it is still so mind-boggling to me how one simple post can take my blog to where I never thought possible.
 
I guess I should work on more chicken recipes 🙂

With my garden beginning it’s annual boom of goodies, I am overcome with zucchini and needed some new zucchini recipes. I couldn’t wait to try these bars.  I am in love with all baked goods with shredded carrots or zucchini.  They are always so moist which makes it hard to step away from them. A few extra miles on the treadmill are worth every bite. The lemon cream cheese frosting just puts these zucchini bars over the top!  Think about these as if your favorite zucchini bread had a baby with your favorite carrot cake.

 Carrot and Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

These gems whipped together extremely quickly, and I didn’t even use a single appliance to make them.  A quick grate on the box grater instead of the KitchenAid and I mixed everything together in a bowl, even the frosting.  This is my kind of easy zucchini recipe!

Looking for more zucchini recipes for all that summer bounty?  Go grab my favorite Zucchini Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting!
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Zucchini Recipe for Carrot Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

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Zucchini brownies that are really blondies.  Loaded with fresh zucchini and carrots that make them super moist then topped with a yummy frosting.

  • Yield: 20 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Zucchini Bars

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 C canola oil
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 C shredded carrot (about 2 large carrots)
  • 1 C shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)
  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C chopped pecans, optional

Frosting

  • 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 C powdered sugar
  • zest of one lemon
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey and vanilla until smooth.  Switch to a rubber spatula and mix in the carrot, zucchini and pecans.  Add all the dry ingredients and mix together just until they are incorporated.  Pour into your greased pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched.  Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
  3. Prepare the frosting by beating together all the ingredients until well blended.  You can frost the whole pan before cutting to make it easy, but I really like cutting the bars first and individually frosting each bar.
  • Author: Carole Jones

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 206
  • Sugar: 19g
  • Sodium: 160mg
  • Fat: 9g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 5g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 27g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 25mg
 

Carole Jones

Carole Jones is an Arizona-based cookbook author & food blogger. She's authored The 30 Minute Cooking From Frozen Cookbook and the self-published Take 5: Chicken e-cookbook. For the past 15 years, Carole has shared her culinary adventures cooking and baking for her six brutally honest children here on My Kitchen Escapades. Hot, crusty bread is Carole's love language, but her two adorable grandchildren are a close second. Yes, second. Don't judge.

76 comments

ScrapCrazyyyy!
14 years ago

they look yummy!!!

rdnance3
14 years ago

They are fabulous! Made them yesterday and they are even better today and they got cold!! YUM!!

My family loves them!

Thanks!

Anonymous
14 years ago

Would yellow squash have the same taste?

GayleMarie
11 years ago

I don’t think you’d have good luck with yellow squash. First of all it is MUCH more watery than zucchini. That could cause a major problem with the wet/dry ingredient ratio, AND yellow squash is NOT a NORMAL ingredient for baked goods. I think it would be a disaster.

Carole
11 years ago

Thanks Gayle

Jeanette Jacoby
10 years ago

I think you could use Yellow squash. Its pretty much a zuch. but yellow. I use them in zuch bread with no problem.

Carole
14 years ago

I honestly don’t know, because I have never tried it. If you do, come back and let me know!

Keri
14 years ago

These are wonderful! I’m eating them right now. (I’m on my 2nd one actually and eyeing one more…)I made it exactly as described and baked 25 minutes to perfection. Thanks!

karayork
14 years ago

This is a great recipe to incorporate more veggies into my 18 month old’s diet! If it tastes anything like the batter when it’s done in 20 minutes, it’s delish! 🙂

Joan
14 years ago

These are incredible…YUM

Anonymous
14 years ago

made today but without the frosting. Was very moist. Great for morning with my coffee! Thank you!

Anonymous
14 years ago

These are wonderful! I will make these again and again! They will be a permanent recipe in my fall recipe book. Thank you.

Janet
14 years ago

I made them with yellow squash and they turned out great!

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