Soft and sweet with a delicate crumb, these Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bars are made with a simple replacement gluten free flour and then topped with a not-too-sweet frosting and decorated with sprinkles. A simple recipe that kids and adults will love!
How to make gluten free sugar cookie bars
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches. This makes it easy to remove later. Set dish aside while the recipe comes together.
Make the Bars
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese on medium speed until well blended—about 1 minute.
how to get room temperature ingredients — fast!
Eggs — speed up the process of getting eggs to room temperature by dropping them gently into a bowl or cup full of hot water (not boiling) and let sit 5 minutes. Done!
Yogurt, Milk & Cream Cheese — To get yogurt to room temperature quickly, simple place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50% power in 15 second intervals, stirring each time.
Butter — the best way to soften butter to room temperature is to get a tall glass and fill with hot water. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the glass is hot. Empty the water and turn the glass upside down over the wrapped butter. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. this will gently warm the butter through to the center.
- Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the room temperature egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
- Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not over bake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.)
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
Make the Frosting
- Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture.
- Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.
Tell me all about these Sugar Cookie Bars
- Flavor – Sweet and buttery, with a slight tang from the cream cheese. A true classic soft sugar cookie flavor you'll crave over and over (trust me, I hide these from the kids).
- Texture – Oh so soft. Like seriously soft and delicate, just like a sugar cookie should be.
- Time – About 25 minutes to make the bars and the frosting. Baking is about 25 minutes, just be sure to check the center for doneness and the a slight brown on the edges.
- Difficulty – Very low. Follow the easy step-by-step instructions below, it's a no-fail recipe!
How to store Sugar Cookie Bars
These bars keep fresh at room temperature for up to one week when kept in an air tight container, or under a glass dome (I left mine on a cake stand under glass all week and they were amazing!). They'll keep fresh for up to two weeks when stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Recipe modifications
Experiment with frosting colors and decorate however you choose! These would be really fun for 4th of July with Red, White, Blue frosting or even topped with blueberry and strawberry stripes.
Making these for friends that just had a baby, I used blue frosting and white sprinkles to welcome their baby boy! And for first day of school, I colored with yellow frosting and used brown sprinkles to mimic the colors of pencils (and the school bus, of course).
However you decorate them, they are a completely indulgent and delicious way to celebrate any occasion!
Got any other kid-friendly dessert recipes? You bet! Here's some of our readers favorites.
- Protein Brownie Bites - a sneaky healthy dessert the kids will gobble up
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars - another delicious treat with healthy ingredients
- Butter Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips - shaped cookies full of chocolate
- Vegan Vanilla Donuts - delicious baked donuts simply made vegan
- Gluten Free Oreo White Chocolate Cookies with Mint Frosting - enough said
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend King Arthur Measure for Measure
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- A drop or two of gel food coloring optional
- Assorted sprinkles for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches. Set aside.
Make the Bars
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute.
- Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
- Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not overbake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.)
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
Make the Frosting
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture.
- Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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