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Ingredients

  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
  • 2 Cups Sugar
  • 1 1/4 Cups Vegetable Oil
  • 1, 4 Ounce Jar Apple Baby Food
  • 1, 4 Ounce Jar Apricot Baby Food
  • 1, 4 Ounce Jar Carrot Baby Food
  • 3, Room Temperature Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts

Bingo Bars

Almost like a carrot cake but in bar form.

60 minutes + cooling time

Serves: 24

Easy

Bingo Bars are very easy to make and the final product is very similar to a carrot cake but in bar form - and it will feed a crowd!

Bingo Bars Ingredients

I was a little excited and very curious to try making these Bingo Bars. The recipe read like a technical challenge on The Great British Bake Off as there was a list of ingredients and not much else. The inclusion of three different types of baby food had me intrigued! I texted Grandma Jackie to see if she remembered this recipe or had any insight and she said she didn’t remember them but she couldn’t wait to hear how delicious they are. LOL! And she was right – they are delicious! The end result is surprisingly like a carrot cake, but in a “bar” form. I put “bar” in quotes as they are the size and shape of bars, but the texture is definitely more cake like.

Overall, this is a pretty simple recipe. Set your eggs out on the counter the night before if you think of it. (If not, it’s not the end of the world.) And if you’re topping this with Grandma’s Cream Cheese Frosting, be sure to set your butter and cream cheese out before you start making these. The Bingo Bars call for chopped nuts—I used pecans—and their flavor will be greatly enhanced if they’re toasted first. Even if the package says “toasted” you still need to toast them yourself to get the best flavor. If you’re pressed for time, you can toast them in a dry skillet on the stove top. If you do that, you need to stir and watch the nuts and DON’T WALK AWAY. When toasting them on the stove top they can burn very easily. For a fool proof way, just toast them in the 350º oven for about 5-10 minutes and stir once or twice.

Once the bars have been baked and cooled, they’re gonna need some kind of topping or frosting. Since they taste so much like carrot cake, the perfect frosting is Grandma’s Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s delicious and easy to make so I strongly recommend it!

These Bingo Bars are definitely a classic vintage recipe. They’re perfect if you’re looking for an easy dessert to feed a crowd. They’re also great if you’ve got a craving for carrot cake but don’t want a big slice of cake. I hope you give these a try and if you do, please let me know what you think in the comments below or share a pic with me on Instagram (@BDHBakes).

Bingo Bars Recipe Card

Steps:

  • Preheat Oven to 350º 
  • Chop and Toast Nuts 

    Roughly chop the nuts you want to use. If you're also making the cream cheese frosting with nuts, go ahead and chop enough for both portions. Either bake in the preheated 350º oven for about 7-10 minutes or toast in a dry skillet until fragrant and just starting to brown. Stir often and keep your eye on them! Set aside and allow to cool.

    Bingo Bars Chopped Nuts
    Bingo Bars Toast Nuts
  • Combine Dry Ingredients 

    In a medium bowl, add your flour, baking soda and cinnamon and whisk until all evenly distributed and an even color.

    Bingo Bars Dry Ingredients
    Bingo Bars Dry Ingredients Mixed Together
  • Combine Wet Ingredients 

    In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add your sugar, oil and baby food. With a hand mixer, or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer, start mixing on low and gradually increase speed to medium and mix for about 1 minute.

    Bingo Bars Wet Ingredients and Sugar
    Bingo Bars Wet Mixed
  • Add Eggs 

    Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds between each addition. Mix just enough for the egg to fully incorporate.

    Bingo Bars Add Egg
    Bingo Bars Eggs All Mixed In
  • Add Dry Ingredients 

    Now, add the dry ingredient mixture a half cup (or so) at a time. Scoop about a half cup of the dry mixture into the large bowl with the wet ingredients and mix on low until the dry ingredients are JUST no longer dry.

    Bingo Bars Add Flour Mixture
    Bingo Bars All Flour In
  • Add Vanilla and Nuts 

    Now, add the vanilla extract and nuts and stir on low just to evenly distribute - about 30 seconds.

    Bingo Bars Add Vanilla
    Bingo Bars Add Nuts
  • Prep Pan and Fill 

    Prep a cookie sheet by lightly spraying it or applying a thin layer of butter on the bottom and sides. Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet and smooth out the top.

    Bingo Bars on Cookie Sheet
  • Bake 

    Bake in the preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

    Bingo Bars Baked
  • Frost & Enjoy 

    Allow the bars to fully cool - at least an hour or so - and then frost with the frosting of your choice. But, Grandma's Cream Cheese Frosting is best.

    Bingo Bars Frosting

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