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Do you like Carrot Cake? These Carrot Cake Magic Bars are a quick and easy treat to serve after Easter dinner.
The other day I was shopping at Walmart, and I came across this season’s newest M&M flavor. They created a white chocolate carrot cake M&M. Now you either are an A person who decided immediately that it sounds nasty, or you are a B person who is intrigued and want to give it a try. I am usually a B person with most new flavors, unless they are sour. Sour candy gives me the heebie geebies! Just can’t do it!!! Anyway, I instagrammed a picture asking opinions on this new flavor, and sure enough, the results were about half and half on whether you guys would try these too. Of course being a B person, I brought them home with me.
I’m sure you are wondering how those M&M’s taste. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. The white chocolate has enough cinnamon and nutmeg that it just gives it a very spicy taste that I actually liked!!!
I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with the M&M’s, until I was looking through some old recipes from last year. Does anyone else remember these Oreo Coconut Gooey Cake Bars? Right away I knew that is how I wanted to use the new candies. And lucky for me, I had picked up a few different flavors of cake when they were on sale. There was a carrot cake in my cupboard just waiting to be used. Bars like these are so easy to make, especially when you rely on a mix. I know some people are against cake mixes at all cost, but I am not one of those people. Cake mixes are my friends when it comes to cookies and bars 
Let’s start with these Carrot Cake Magic Bars. You will first mix up your dough by combining some softened butter, and an egg with the carrot cake mix. The sticky dough will get pressed into the bottom of a greased pan. Then the fun begins. You need to decide on what kind of toppings you want your bars to have under the gooey sweetened condensed milk. One of my favorite cakes is a Carrot Cake, so I knew I wanted to incorporate those types of ingredients in the gooey cake bars.
I spread some pineapple preserves over the dough that was in the pan already. Then I sprinkled on walnuts and coconut. To get this gooey bar, you will use an entire can of sweetened condensed milk. It bakes down into all the layers to create one glorious bar. The carrot cake M&M’s get added to the top right before going in the oven.
They are quite sweet, so I would recommend cutting them into little squares. I actually cut each of these bars in the pictures into 4 smaller bite sized pieces after I took pictures. Of course that didn’t stop me from eating 4 of them at one time. So much for trying to be better at portion control.
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Other fun ways to eat Carrot Cake are:
Carrot Cake bars topped with Carrot Cake M&M's.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into the bottom of a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray.
- Spread the pineapple preserves over the dough. Sprinkle with the walnuts and coconut. Spread the condensed milk over the top. Sprinkle with the M&M's. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into 15 large squares or 60 bite sized squares.
Notes
If you can't find the carrot cake M&M's, you could substitute white chocolate chips.
More Carrot Cake goodness around the web:
Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls from Crazy for Crust
Carrot Cake Muddy Buddies from Something Swanky
Carrot Cake Shooter from Kitchen Meets Girl
Shared with: What’s Cooking, Weekend Potluck,
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Jocelyn is the baker, photographer, and writer behind Inside BruCrew Life. She is married to her best friend, and they have three great kids. She spends her days baking sweet treats, and then trying to find ways to give the treats away without eating them all. Grab a cup of coffee and visit while she shares life from their kitchen.
Let me just say, having tried these lovely bites, OMG delicious!!! So much so that I bought the carrot cake m&m’s immediately
Such pretty photos too Jocelyn!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets recently posted..Chocolate Mint Pretzel Bites
I am glad that I got to share these treats with you. It was such a fun day full of laughs. Thank goodness for that Walmart having the carrot cake m&m’s for you to be able to stock up on! And thank you so much for the sweet comment on the picture…it was such a cloudy day and I wasn’t that crazy about any of the pics this time.
THese are so fun! And so creative. Love the carrot cake twist. But I won’t lie that carrot cake donut is calling my name!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen recently posted..OOC Brownies
You should definitely listen to the donuts! They are for sure one of my favorites!
I am still thinking of a good recipe for those M&Ms, besides eating them all. I have one brewing right now, and I hope it works!!!
These bars look great Jocelyn!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted..Rainbow Cheesecake Dip
Eating them all works for me! I can’t wait to see what you come up with…I’m sure it will be fabulous!!!
Oh my! First of all, since I’m such an on-line shopper (Amazon) fanatic…I already clicked and have my M&Ms coming Tuesday morning! (I am all about a cake in a box for cookies and bars, as well. ) Thank you for sharing…Can’t wait to make these as soon as my UPS man shows up! (=
Gloria @ Simply Gloria recently posted..Cookies And Cream Bars
Now that sounds like a fun mail day for sure!!! Cake mixes are just so much easier…I will never give them up! Can’t wait to hear what you think of the M&M’s.
Jocelyn, these look amazing! I haven’t seen these M&Ms in my stores yet, but I’m going to have to go on the hunt. Carrot cake is my absolute FAVORITE! I’m with you on the sour stuff–can’t stand it! But my husband and son both love it–bleck! And thanks for linking up my carrot cake shooters. Have a wonderful week!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl recently posted..Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake
I guess someone has to like all those nasty sour candies right? That just means more carrot cake goodness for you and I to share! I hope you have luck finding the M&M’s at Wally world…they were so much better than I expected. So much so that I went and bought more for another treat
Those bars look just fabulous! And white chocolate carrot cake flavored M&M’s would definitely be worth a try! Thanks for cluing me into this new candy.
madge | the vegetarian casserole queen recently posted..Corn and Cilantro Salad
You are very welcome! Hopefully you can resist eating more than I did…they are quite addicting
These look great Jocelyn. I’ll have to hunt down those M&M’s later this week when I’m in the US…..because I know for sure Canada won’t have them!
Liz recently posted..Banana Caramel Granola Bars
Girl, I’m wishing you hunting luck! They are a fun seasonal twist on the white chocolate M&M!!!
carrot cake will always be one of my very favorites. It’s my dad’s favorite dessert ever, so eating it always reminds me of him. You have so many carrot cake desserts Jocelyn! I had no idea carrot cake M&Ms existed!
sally @ sallys baking addiction recently posted..Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting.
That is such a fun memory/person to have associated with a sweet treat!!! Carrot cake M&M’s were a fun discovery this week!
I must find these M&Ms – they sound sooooo good! I am a huge fan of carrot cake though, so it’s not surprising to me at all that I want to try them
If I don’t finish off the bag, I hope to make these bars hehe
Good luck in hunting down a bag of candy…I recommend buying two! One to snack on and one to bake with
These look so yummy! I love carrot cake!
Jeni recently posted..My Favorite Little Rabbit
Carrot Cake M&M’s??? Obviously I don’t spend enough time in candy aisle… How did I miss this?? Anyhow, these bars are GEENIOUS!!! Love magic bars and this carrot cake spin on them sounds fabulous!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet recently posted..Quick Bread – Part 1 {high top, big loaf}
I have a slight addiction to always checking out the candy aisle in every store
My cupboards are always full of candy and baking supplies!
In this recipe I was most concerned with the pineapple preserves. I think pineapple chunks would be better. Or skip the mms and use cinnamon chips and pineapple chunks. The addition of jam seems strange.
Shiloh Barkley recently posted..Eastern NC BBQ
The pineapple could be left out if you don’t like it. I happen to like using jam in my magic bars…it adds a fun twist to it.
I’d be a B person with these as well, especially since carrot cake and white chocolate are involved. However, I doubt I will actually get to try these any time soon if at all. I love the magic bars you created with these M&Ms!
Regina @ SpecialtyCakeCreations recently posted..Easy Peanut Butter Bars {No Bake}
Thanks Regina. You could always check out amazon…but you would probably pay quite a bit more for them.
I love carrot muffins (version of carrot cake) so these bars look like they are right up my alley, will have to try them out! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Arelis Cintron recently posted..How I lessened the burden of guilt… #Lent Season
Carrot muffins sound great too. I am always looking for ways to enjoy my favorite cake!
What a creatively delicious magic bar!! I have not seen these new M & M’s, but that is my mission this week to find them! These look wonderful Jocelyn!
Tanya Schroeder recently posted..Guinness Black Bottom Mint Cupcakes
So far Walmart is the only place I have seen them. My fingers are crossed for you!
These look dangerous
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie recently posted..Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Dangerous for the waist, yes!!! I couldn’t stop munching on them.
Oooh these DO look magical! Well, just about anything with carrot cake is magical in my book.
Ali | Gimme Some Oven recently posted..Guinness Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Magical is the perfect way to describe these bars! I agree with you…carrot cake stuff is the bomb!!!
So they are worth trying!!!
carrian recently posted..The BEST Potato Rolls
Yes, definitely worth trying. Well, I thought so anyway
They are just a white chocolate with a cinnamon nutmeg hit! They were good!
What do you mean there are CARROT CAKE M&MS?!?!? OMG I almost want to walk to the nearest wal-mart to find them. And then eat a whole bag. And then buy another bag and add them to these amazing carrot cake bars. Easter snackage to the max
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain recently posted..#MuffinMonday: BLT Muffins
Run, don’t walk to Walmart…and yes, buy 2 bags. I ended up going back for another bag for more goodies!!!
These look sooo scrumptious!! …& with CARROT cake m&m’s and PINEAPPLE preserves they must be healthy too, right?!
hehe! I hadn’t seen these M&M’s yet, but totally feel like shopping after seeing (& pinning 
) your yummy & creative recipe! Thanks for sharing, Jocelyn!
Hahah yes, very healthy indeed…as long as you don’t think about the sweetened condensed milk over all the top.
I haven’t seen these M&M ‘s yet, what an interesting flavor. LOVE what you did with it though, perfect!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts recently posted..Fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies #chocolateparty
They are a very interesting flavor…but a good one! Magic bars are always a fun and easy thing to make with candy you aren’t sure about!
All of this sounds great to me. I am in Florida for vacation and have been trying to find those m&ms everywhere… No luck.
I wonder if they are only sold in certain stores? I would definitely look for them when you get home.
wow they sound great! and i have not seen that m&m flav yet. Very creative idea with them!
michelle recently posted..Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and 2 Meringues….!
Thank you Michelle. They were fun to create with!
Saw the Instagram and was like do what? What kind of chocolate is that? Well you have turned them into interesting and intriguing and now I must try!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet recently posted..Mint Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Haha exactly my thoughts when I saw them in the store. I am so glad I opted to buy them…so good!!!
I have to try these, perhaps for our graduation party in April — my mother-in-law loves carrot cake!
They would be a great party treat. I would recommend buying the M&M’s now though. Who knows how long they will last.
Oh I love carrot cake and this looks amazing! I’m totally going to be on the look for those M&Ms!
Trish – Mom On Timeout recently posted..Marshmallow Berry Flower Cookies for Easter!
Carrot cake anything is definitely amazing! I hope you have luck finding the new M&M’s.
I cannot wait to try those M&M’s, and these look fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Christi recently posted..Loaded Southwest Sweet Potato
Hi!! I cannot wait to try these for the kids table at Easter! They look beyond yummy! Can you give any suggestions what might also be good as a substitute for the pineapple preserves? Could I use a can of crushed pineapple or would that change the outcome?? Thanks so much!!
You could try the crushed pineapple, but I would drain it very well. It also would be fine to leave that out if you can’t find it. I bought the pineapple preserves at Walmart in the jelly aisle. Hope that helps!!!
I love the endless combinations of magic bars but this one is my favorite. Carrot Cake has so much flavor as is, I can only imagine it gets better with M & M’s and sweetened condensed milk.
Nicole @ youngbrokeandhungry recently posted..Quick Orange Vanilla Marmalade
There is something so fun and amazing about magic bars! It is fun to play with flavors and candy in them.
My family hates coconut so do you think I could substitute graham cracker crumbs for the coconut??
It will definitely change the texture and the taste, but I think it would work just fine.
Oh my, this looks fab!!
Thanks Kristen!!!
These look so good! I’m definitely in the “person B” camp and think carrot cake M&Ms sound good! I love the pretty colors too, and your photos are always great!
Alicia recently posted..homemade sourdough croutons
WOW!! These are so delicious looking! They are a definite must try! We would love to have you come and share them at our party. It is a weekly Thursday party, going live tonight (Wed.) at 8:00 p.m. MST ~ Hope to you will join us!
Have a great day!
Joye & Myrna (The Busy Bee’s)
thebusybhive.blogspot.com
The Busy Bee’s recently posted..Caramel Sauce or Icecream Topping
My son would love these!
Holly Lefevre recently posted..Lucky & Blessed Burlap Banner Tutorial
These look so good! Would love for you to share at our Link party for us to feature!:) http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/2013/02/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_28.html
Those look reallllly good! Oh my goodness! Thanks for sharing.
[email protected] recently posted..take a look at you {link party features}
I love this! I’d like to invite you to link up on Saturday Spotlight @ Angels Homestead today. I’ll be featuring Easter treats and crafts soon, and would love to enclude this in the collection.
http://angelshomestead.com/
Hope to see you there
April
April @ Angel’s Homestead recently posted..Saturday Spotlight #7
Delicious! I might have to make these one day. My boyfriend is a huge fan of carrot cake and these look wonderful! Thanks for sharing! Pinned and shared on my Facebook page.
Julie @ This Gal Cooks
Julie recently posted..Recipe: Lobster Macaroni & Cheese
Thank you so much for sharing it on pinterest and Facebook!!!
You’re welcome!
Julie recently posted..Recipe: Lobster Macaroni & Cheese
This is one of the best things I have seen in a long time! Thanks for sharing. Just pinned so I can try them myself.
Vicky @ Mess For Less recently posted..Easter Peep Pops – Food Fun Friday
Thank you so much for the pin love!!!
Oh, portion control-smortion control. I would’ve eaten all four squares, too {and probably four more after that}. These look so yummy!!
I’m glad to hear that I am not the only one with portion issues
These were so easy to just keep munching on!!!
The carrot cake magic bars were good. I substituted white choc. chips and semi-sweet choc chips for the carrot cake m’s (since they don’t sell these anywhere in my area) I also substituted peach preserves for the pineapple (they didn’t sell this in my area). They were different and delish! Next time I’ll use brownie mix instead of carrot cake, for a different twist.
It sounds like you created a winner recipe! Love the substitutions you made and I bet the brownie mix will be awesome!!
I just saw these on Pinterest and whoa, you outdid yourself! I love both carrot cake AND magic bars- perfect marriage. And with pineapple jelly no less. Delish! I used to make cake bars like this all the time with a can of sweet cond milk poured over a cake base. I loved those early days on my blog. EASY! I need to do more of that
Averie @ Averie Cooks recently posted..The Ultimate Fudgy Caramel Brownies
What a FUN recipe! I love that you included those delicious carrot cake M&Ms! Awesome!
Mackenzie
I was browsing through linkys and found your blog on Keeping It Simple Crafts. Visiting you blog I chose your recipe to share on mine, come and visit. Tasty Bites Featured Recipes Hope you dont mind. Have a great week