Do you like carrot cake? These Carrot Cake Cookie 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 cookie 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.
These carrot cake magic bars 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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Recipe
Carrot Cake Cookie Bars
These easy Carrot Cake Cookie Bars are loaded with pineapple and nuts. This makes a great Easter dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 carrot cake mix
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup pineapple preserves
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup Carrot Cake M&M's
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
- 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 the prepared pan.
- Spread the pineapple preserves over the dough. Sprinkle with the walnuts and coconut.
- Drizzle the condensed milk over the top. Sprinkle with the M&M's. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Let cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.
Notes
*If you can't find the carrot cake M&M's, you could substitute white chocolate chips.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g
Other fun ways to eat Carrot Cake
More Carrot Cake goodness
Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls from Crazy for Crust
Carrot Cake Muddy Buddies from Something Swanky
Carrot Cake Shooter from Kitchen Meets Girl
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
Oh, portion control-smortion control. I would've eaten all four squares, too {and probably four more after that}. These look so yummy!!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one with portion issues 🙂 These were so easy to just keep munching on!!!
Vicky @ Mess For Less says
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.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you so much for the pin love!!!
Julie says
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
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you so much for sharing it on pinterest and Facebook!!!
Julie says
You're welcome!
April @ Angel's Homestead says
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
Ginger@gingersnapcrafts.com says
Those look reallllly good! Oh my goodness! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Jill @ Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons says
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
Holly Lefevre says
My son would love these!
The Busy Bee's says
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
Alicia says
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!
Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke says
Oh my, this looks fab!!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thanks Kristen!!!
Rachel says
My family hates coconut so do you think I could substitute graham cracker crumbs for the coconut??
Jocelyn Brubaker says
It will definitely change the texture and the taste, but I think it would work just fine.
Nicole @ youngbrokeandhungry says
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.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
There is something so fun and amazing about magic bars! It is fun to play with flavors and candy in them.
Tara says
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!!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
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!!!
Christi says
I cannot wait to try those M&M's, and these look fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Oh I love carrot cake and this looks amazing! I'm totally going to be on the look for those M&Ms!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Carrot cake anything is definitely amazing! I hope you have luck finding the new M&M's.
Katie Clark says
I have to try these, perhaps for our graduation party in April -- my mother-in-law loves carrot cake!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
They would be a great party treat. I would recommend buying the M&M's now though. Who knows how long they will last.
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
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!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Haha exactly my thoughts when I saw them in the store. I am so glad I opted to buy them...so good!!!
michelle says
wow they sound great! and i have not seen that m&m flav yet. Very creative idea with them!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you Michelle. They were fun to create with!
Meg @ Sweet Twist says
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.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I wonder if they are only sold in certain stores? I would definitely look for them when you get home.
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says
I haven't seen these M&M 's yet, what an interesting flavor. LOVE what you did with it though, perfect!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
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!