Carrot Cake Bars

Perfect for spring! GF, DF, Paleo friendly, and very easy to make. Made these for Easter this year with a great response from those that ate them :)[gallery ids="775,776" type="square" columns="2"][recipe title="Carrot Cake Bars" servings="12 bars" difficulty="easy"]Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C coconut sugar (can sub brown sugar)
• 2 T apple pie spice (can sub cinnamon or even pumpkin pie spice)
• 2 T maple syrup (can omit if necessary, I prefer to add it for the hint of maple and slight added sweetness)
• 2 T coconut oil, melted and cooled (or use liquid coconut oil)
• 1 large carrot, or 2 medium carrots, shredded (about 1 1/2 C once shredded-- I used a food processor to shred mine)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Frosting: 1 can Simple Mills vanilla frosting + 4 oz. cream cheese of your choice (I used almond milk cream cheese from Kite Hill)... just place both into a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer and spread on cooled sheet of bars!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 º F and line 8x8" or 9x9" pan with parchment paper, set aside
2. Whisk your eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and melted/cooled coconut oil (make sure it's cooled enough so that it doesn't cook the eggs when you whisk)
3. Add in your almond flour, baking soda, and spice and mix until smooth and combined (I switch to a rubber spatula at this point)
4. Fold in shredded carrot and transfer to the prepared pan, spread evenly
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean

Please tag me on instagram @celiacsweetie if you make these, or comment on this blog-- I would love to see your recreations! Also please reach out if you have any questions about the recipe (videos of how I make this recipe can be found on @celiacsweetie instagram story highlights under "baking vids").xo, Celiac Sweetie[/recipe]