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No Sugar Cottage Cheese Carrot Cake Bars Recipe featured image

No Sugar Cottage Cheese Carrot Cake Bars Recipe

If you crave carrot cake but want to skip the sugar crash, these **No Sugar Cottage Cheese Carrot Cake Bars** hit a very specific sweet spot. They taste...
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 1 servings
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 190
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup finely shredded carrots packed (about 2 medium carrots)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut optional
  • 1 cup full-fat or 2% cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil such as avocado or light olive oil
  • 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter slightly cooled
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe banana about 2 large bananas or unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour or additional wheat flour if nut-free
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/3 cup raisins or chopped dates optional
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
  2. Finely shred the carrots on the small holes of a box grater. Pat them gently with a clean towel to remove excess moisture, but do not squeeze them completely dry. Measure 1 packed cup. If using, measure the shredded coconut and set aside.
  3. In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, with no visible curds.
  4. Transfer the blended cottage cheese mixture to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs, neutral oil, melted butter, mashed banana (or applesauce), and vanilla extract until well combined.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly mixed.
  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold together with a spatula just until no dry streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
  7. Fold in the shredded carrots and, if using, the shredded coconut, raisins or chopped dates, and nuts until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer, smoothing the top with a spatula.
  9. Bake for 25 to 32 minutes, or until the edges are set, the center is just barely firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
  10. Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. For the creamiest, custard-like texture and clean slices, chill the cooled pan in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cutting.
  11. Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into 12 squares. Serve cold from the fridge or slightly warmed, plain or with a spoonful of thick Greek yogurt on top.

Notes

For the best flavor, use fresh, sweet carrots and grate them finely so they soften into the batter and stay tender after baking.
If your cottage cheese is very chunky, blending it thoroughly before mixing is key to avoiding visible curds in the finished bars.
To keep the bars nut-free, replace the almond flour with more wheat flour and omit the walnuts or pecans.
Taste the batter (before adding the eggs if you prefer) and adjust spices to your liking; you can add an extra pinch of cinnamon or ginger for a more pronounced carrot cake flavor.
Store the bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They firm up as they chill and are easiest to cut when cold.
For a simple no-sugar topping, spread thick Greek yogurt over individual slices just before serving, or drizzle with unsweetened almond butter for extra richness.