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 mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Cookie, Dessert
Cuisine: plant-based, Vegan
Servings: 16 bars
Author: Ashley
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
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.)