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Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars
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4.50 from 4 votes

Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars

These vegan sugar cookie bars and sweet, simple, and comforting. Here, they're outfitted in pale pink in honor of the upcoming heart-themed "holiday," but rest assured that you can dress them up or down however you see fit. Change up the color of the buttercream, add sprinkles or crushed freeze-dried raspberries, etc.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Cookie, Dessert
Cuisine: plant-based, Vegan
Servings: 16 bars
Author: Ashley

Ingredients

Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars

  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • 1 cup cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups spelt flour
  • ¼ cup arrowroot powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons filtered water

Pink Vegan Buttercream

  • ½ cup vegan butter at room temperature
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Tiny splash beet juice as needed to color
  • Splash or two plain unsweetened plant-based milk as needed to thin

Instructions

For the Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper (double-check your pan size—a 9 x 9-inch square pan won't work for this recipe).
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla on high for 2 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Place the bowl next to the mixer.
  • With the mixer off, add the flour mixture. Then, add the water on top. Beat for 15 seconds or until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. The dough should pull together into large, moist crumbles as it moves around the mixing bowl.
  • Press the dough evenly into the lined baking pan.
  • Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs at the tip. 
  • Let cool completely in the pan.

For the Pink Vegan Buttercream

  • While the cookie bar cools, prepare the buttercream.
  • Beat the butter using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or hand mixer fitted with the beater attachments) until light and fluffy. About two minutes.
  • Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating until a fluffy buttercream consistency is reached. Add the vanilla and beat again. Then, slowly add a few drops of beet juice at a time and beat until the desired pink color is achieved. If you've achieved the color you want but the frosting is still too thick, add a tiny splash of plant-based milk (or as much as needed to thin) and beat again.
  • The buttercream should be light, fluffy, and easy to spread yet still hold its shape.

To Assemble

  • Slather as much of the buttercream as desired over the cooled sugar cookie bar (I use about half and freeze the other half for another use).
  • Lift out of the pan, and slice into squares or rectangles.
  • Enjoy.
  • Refrigerate leftovers. (These are best enjoyed chilled straight from the refrigerator.)