Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bars
These gluten free sugar cookie bars are easy to make, soft, chewy and topped with frosting and lots of sprinkles! They’re dairy free friendly and the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
These gluten free sugar cookie bars are the perfect cross between a blondie and a frosted sugar cookie but are so easy to make.
This recipe has a soft sugar cookie base, just baked in a standard brownie pan to create super chewy, sugary and buttery bars. Then they are topped with a simple homemade frosting that you can leave white, dye pink, blue or even swirl a few different colors together.
These cookie bars are the perfect dessert for a birthday (anything with sprinkles is IMO), fun family dessert or to bring to a party! If you love this recipe, try my vegan funfetti sugar cookies, gluten free poptarts or gluten free m&m cookies next.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Soft & chewy
- Easy to make- one bowl!
- Dairy free friendly
- Nut free
How to make gluten free sugar cookie bars
Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine wet. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until combined.
Add in dry. Add in the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Transfer to your prepared baking pan and spread the top out smooth.
Bake. Bake for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are just golden brown.
Make frosting. Let cool. Meanwhile, combine the butter for the frosting and the sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and milk, one tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
Frost & serve. Add food coloring if desired or leave as is. Top the cooled bars with the frosting and sprinkles. Slice into 16 squares and enjoy! Try my gluten free bakery style sugar cookies next!
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Ingredient swaps
Flour. I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking flour here, which I use in mostly all of my baked goods. I have not tried a different blend, but if you do, just make sure it has xanthan gum in the mix.
Oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour or other gluten free flours will not work here. All all purpose flour is key!
Sugar. This recipe calls for white granulated sugar, which I recommend for the best gluten free cookie bar texture and flavor. However, if you want more of a refined sugar free option, you can swap for coconut sugar, though that will lead to a much darker color.
Egg. This recipe calls for one egg plus one egg yolk. For an egg-free or vegan option, you can sub for a vegan alternative. My suggestion would be a store bought egg replacer, such as Bob’s Red Mill, and use 1.5 times the amount for one egg to account for both the egg and the yolk.
You can also try the vegan cookie bars in my ebook!
Butter. For a dairy free option, swap the butter in both the cookie bars and the frosting for a vegan butter such as Earth Balance.
How to store and freeze
These gluten free sugar cookie bars will keep at room temperature for about 3-5 days. They do best when stored in a container with the lid slightly ajar because of the frosting. They can get a big too soft if covered completely.
You can also freeze these cookie bars! Just allow them to cool completely, then slice and transfer to a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge and frost after thawing.
Make them funfetti!
For a fun variation, I like to add about 1/3 cup of sprinkles to the cookie bar base, fold that all together, then press into the pan and bake for funfetti cookie bars! You can then enjoy as is or top with frosting and more sprinkles.
I suggest regular rainbow sprinkles as opposed to non-pareils because non-pareils tend to melt more easily and bleed into the dough.
More desserts you’ll love!
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Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bars
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dry
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose baking flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 tablespoons cream or milk
- Optional food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
- Transfer to your prepared baking pan and spread the top out smooth.
- Bake for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are just golden brown.
- Let cool. Meanwhile, combine the butter for the frosting and the sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and milk, one tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
- Add food coloring if desired or leave as is. Top the cooled bars with the frosting and sprinkles. Slice into 16 squares and enjoy!
Comments
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What is the dairy swap in the frosting recipe? Thank you!
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Use dairy free butter like earth balance and a dairy free milk!
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So so good! Amazing flavor and texture! Family and friends had no idea that it was gluten free 🥰🫶
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Love to hear that! Thanks, Abigail!
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Can I substitute tapioca flour for the cornstarch?
Thank you-
Yes should be fine!
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