If you want a fantastically moist and tasty treat with healthy fiber in it, try these moist zucchini carrot
bars.

Moist Zucchini Carrot Bars

As with most of my recipes which either start with someone else’s recipe that I massively change or are happy accidents, this was both! Then there are the unhappy accidents, but that’s a whole other blog post.

I was in the mood for carrot cake one day but didn’t want the sickly sweetness that usually accompanies it. I found a recipe somewhere for the basics and changed it up a bunch. I did think I was making a cake but after it cooled I realized I had made bars. And then a few versions later when I had some extra shredded zucchini hanging around I thought I’d throw that in too. And they were awesome!

They were firm but moist and just sweet enough. You can feel good that these moist zucchini carrot bars are filled with mostly good, whole, healthy ingredients.

Moist Zucchini Carrot Bars

You can eat these for breakfast on the go (try one with our Green Dream Smoothie), as a snack, or as a wholesome dessert. They are gluten-free (if you use gluten-free oats) and oil-free and my kids gobble these down like candy.

Moist Zucchini Carrot Bars

Author: Plantivores
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 60 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Yield: 20 bars 1x
Category: Snack, Dessert

Description

These moist zucchini carrot bars are a wholesome treat for breakfast or dessert. Vegan, oil-free, gluten-free.

Scale

Ingredients

Dry

2 cups oat flour (grind your own using oats in a high-speed blender)
2 cups oats
1 cup sucanat (or other minimally processed sugar)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Wet

2 cups organic, applesauce (with no added sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl until combined.
In a medium bowl mix together the applesauce, vanilla, carrots/zucchini and maple syrup until well combined. Then add in the raisins and walnuts and stir until combined.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into a 9×13 baking dish lined with parchment.
These took 65 minutes to bake here in Denver at altitude. I find that things take slightly longer to bake here than most recipes call for. If you don’t live at a high altitude, start checking for doneness at 45-50 minutes. These are done when the top is firm, slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
These take a while as they have a lot of wet ingredients and remain very moist after cooking.
Cool the pan on a wire rack and then cut into squares or rectangles. Makes approximately 20 bars.
These bars will last in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for a few months.

Notes

To make gluten-free, use gluten-free oats.
If you don’t want to use both carrots and zucchini, you can use either 2 cups shredded carrots OR 2 cups shredded zucchini.
You can substitute chopped pecans for the walnuts or leave out the nuts altogether.