Carrot Cake Muffin Bars {for April's SRC}

Do you ever enter into someone's home and feel like you never want to leave?  You know that kind of home that is just so beautiful and welcoming that you just want to wrap all the comfort it gives out around you.  I always feel like this when I go to my mom and dad's house.   This month when I opened up my assigned food blog to Eat, Live, Run from the Secret Recipe Club I immediately felt like I never wanted to leave! Just like I feel when I enter into the happiness, warmth and beauty of my parent's home.  Everything about Jenna's blog is just full of lovliness and delicious-ness.  Her recipes are completely beautiful along with the way she presents and describes them.  And then of course the reality that last Fall Jenna released a novel called, White Jacket Required - which by the way has been on my wish list over at amazon.com - I felt even more compelled to just tuck myself into one of the corners of her kitchen just so that I could soak up ALL the amaziness, knowledge and love of food that she has.   I don't think she would mind, do you?

 

 

 Instead of stealing away into Jenna's kitchen I settled for making one of her recipes.  I made her Carrot Cake Muffin Bars.  Deelish!  A bar that has many of the ingredients that are in a carrot cake is a dream come true for me.  Shredded carrots, raisins (my addition), walnuts and then of course oats all come together to make one fantabulous little treat.  You could enjoy this bar at breakfast, lunch, tea or dessert.  Personally I enjoyed nibbles and bites of these bars ALL. DAY. LONG.  Hey, sometimes that is just what you've got to do.  You can't waste a good thing!  But, you can SHARE a good thing right!? Thus I share with you the recipe to Jenna's Carrot Cake Muffin Bars .

 

 

 

Carrot Cake Muffin Bars
              (recipe from Eat, Live, Run )

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 milk
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oats - old fashioned or quick
1 cup grated carrot (2 medium or 1 large carrot)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins (my addition)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x9 square pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients of flour, salt, baking powder and oats. Set bowl aside.

3. Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in egg and beat well until smooth.  Add in milk slowly while mixer is on low speed.  Then add in dry ingredients. Mix all together to combine.

4. Add in grated carrots, walnuts and raisins (if you wish).  Mix until just combined. 

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Edges of the bars will be come away from the sides of the pan and the center will not jiggle if gently touched when done.

Cool to desired temp, cut, serve and enjoy!

Happy Carrot Cake Muffin Bar Baking!