Keto Sugar Cookie Bars

I was never that much of a sugar cookie person until I embarked on my keto journey. The real deal never held that much appeal for me, and I’d pass them over in favor of anything with chocolate.

But I’ve gained a healthy appreciation for this classic flavor over the years. It all started with my keto sugar cookies, which quickly became a family tradition and a reader favorite. We make them every year to decorate and I am always surprised by how much I like them.

But these tender Keto Sugar Cookie Bars have me weak in the knees. They are so good, and so easy to make. And you can dress them up for any holiday or special occasion.

I made a holiday version for my Keto Holiday Cookies & Bars e-book. Check it out here:

Ingredients you need

• Almond flour: As always, I recommend a good finely ground almond flour for the best texture. If you need to be nut-free, you can try sunflower seed flour. But you will need to add a tablespoon of acid, such as lemon juice, to offset the green reaction.
• Butter: Make sure your butter is properly softened so that the sweetener combines well. If your house is on the chilly side, heat the butter for 10 seconds or so in the microwave.
• Sweetener: I recommend Swerve Granular for the bars themselves, and Swerve Confectioners for the frosting.
• Eggs: You will need one whole egg and one egg yolk. Make sure they are room temperature before adding to the dough.
• Cream cheese: The frosting has a little cream cheese in it to make it whiter. Perfect for holiday sugar cookie bars!
• Sprinkles: Keto sprinkles make baking so much more fun. I like the great colours and mixes from The Sprinkle Company on Etsy.
• Baking staples: Vanilla, baking powder, salt

Step by Step Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

2. Add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the dough comes together.

3. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the center is puffed and the edges are golden brown. It will still be very soft. Remove and let cool in the pan.

4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined, then beat in the vanilla extract.

5. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and sprinkle with holiday sprinkles. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set the frosting before cutting into bars.

Expert tips

Beat the butter and sweetener thoroughly before adding any other ingredients. This process makes the butter really creamy so that the other ingredients combine better. And make sure to use room temperature eggs, as cold eggs will make the butter clump up.

The cream cheese in the frosting both gives it structure and makes it more white in color. So you don’t have to use ridiculous amounts of powdered sweetener to achieve a nice consistency.

Let’s discuss those sweeteners. I really think that erythritol based sweeteners such as Swerve will give you the best results in both the bars and the frosting. Allulose or BochaSweet will make the bars very soft and more cake-y. Allulose also has a tendency to brown baked goods too much.