Carrot-Cheese Crumble Bars

Prop and Food Styling by Goldie Stern
Photography by Felicia Perretti

Come 3:00 Shabbos afternoon and I’m already thinking of my Shalosh Seudos moment with my coffee and cake. This carrot cheesecake does not disappoint. If you’re of the camp of people who can’t drink coffee past 10:00 a.m. (you amateurs with your healthy response to caffeine), rest assured that these bars can be enjoyed with a glass of milk or hot cup of tea. Decaffeinated, obviously

YIELDS 15 SQUARES

Carrot Cake Base

• 1½ cups flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup finely grated carrots
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼–½ tsp ginger, to taste
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)
• ¼ tsp allspice (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 egg

Cheese Filling

• 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp vanilla sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×7-inch (23×17-cm) baking pan with parchment paper.

Mix all the carrot cake ingredients in a bowl; it should be very crumbly. Press down two-thirds of the mixture into the pan, resembling a crust.