Carrot and Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

It's that time of year again when you can enjoy all the fall scents and tasty treats!  I love the fall season!!  I am thoroughly enjoying all the the pumpkin flavors and fall spices! As I was searching for fall recipes to try and post here on my blog, I came across this one from Healthy Happy Helpers.  This recipe is super yummy and not overly sweet.  It goes great with coffee or as an after dinner light dessert. What I love about this recipe is that it calls for carrots and zucchini and I don't feel guilty eating it!  My kiddos loved these bars!

You can make a Gluten Free version if you substitute the all-purpose flour for a Gluten Free flour. Depending on your time, you may want to skip making the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting from scratch and go buy the store bought version.  Your choice :)

Super easy and fits perfectly for the fall season!  Take these to your fall parties!  Happy baking!

Ingredients - Bars

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Ingredients - Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8oz) pkg reduced fat cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees C.  in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey and vanilla.  Don't worry about clumps of brown sugar, those will dissolve as it sits while you prepare the remaining ingredients.  Then fold in the carrots, zucchini and walnuts.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda.  Whisk to blend together.
3. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture.  Stir just until combined.  Spread batter into an ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
4. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. Once the cake is cooled, prepare the frosting.  In a medium mixing bowl, beat the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy.  Spread or pipe the frosting over the cooled bars.