These Keto Sugar Cookie Bars have all the tenderness and flavor of your favorite cookie in an easy-to-make bar form. Topped with sugar-free buttercream and sprinkles, they’re a perfect treat for any occasion!
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:
Why you need this recipe
I now readily admit that sugar cookies are pretty darn tasty. But I think I like these bars even more than the actual cookies. Pressing the dough into a pan makes them so easy, you can whip up a pan in less than an hour.
They are softer than cookies, and have a delicious chewiness. And adding a thick layer of sugar free frosting certainly doesn’t hurt.
You can also adjust this recipe to suit your tastes. You could switch out the extract and add some almond or lemon. Or even peppermint for the holidays. You could make the frosting in fun colors or you could add my rich keto chocolate frosting. So many delicious possibilities.
At 2.1g net carbs, these festive treats fit in perfectly with the keto diet!
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The term “sugar free” doesn’t always mean that something is keto friendly. Many cookies don’t have any added sugar but contain other sources of carbs such as starches and grains. Make sure you read the nutritional labels and ingredients list to identify the total and net carb count per serving.
These delicious Keto Sugar Cookie Bars have 3.9g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber. So they have a net carb count of 2.1g per bar.
You can make these bars ahead and refrigerate or freeze them until ready to serve. Store them in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper to keep the frosting and sprinkles looking fresh.
Keto Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Bars
- ½ cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup Swerve Granular
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- ½ cup butter softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup Swerve Confectioners
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sugar-Free Sprinkles of choice
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and grease a 9×9 inch metal pan.
- 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.
- All at once, add the almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the dough comes together.
- 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.
Frosting
- 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.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and sprinkle with holiday sprinkles. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set the frosting before cutting into bars.
Meredith says
Stupid question, perhaps, but do you use unsalted or salted butter?
Carolyn says
It’s not a stupid question at all! I don’t specify because I find salt to be a matter of taste and I prefer salted in my desserts. But most bakers would tell you that you are supposed to use unsalted. I say that it’s really up to you.
carol walter says
What keeps the frosting from getting grainy/sugary? I made a similar icing with 4 oz of cream cheese, 2 T. butter, Swerve confectioners sugar added to make the right consistency. I did not expect the confectioners sugar to be grainy. What didi I do wrong? Is it because I did not use a recipe? The consistency was easy to spread, was not grainy until the next day. and looked great. Yes, I suppose I should have looked up one of Carolyn’s recipe, but I thought since I used swerve it would work out well. I did not put it in the fridge.
Carolyn says
Was anything warm when you beat it together? Heat tends to make the sweetener recrystallize more. My recipe also has more butter, which may make a difference as well.
Marilyn Gilberts says
Just made these today. I accidentally left out the baking powder but they still taste great! Thanks for a simple variation to sugar cookies.
Laura says
Delicious! I had my doubts, because I haven’t made a sugarfree sugar cookie recipe that tasted similar to non sugarfree ones. Wow, am I glad I gave this recipe a shot. From now on it will be my go to recipe, and it’s so easy, no messy rolling cookies out.
RJ says
these are absolutely delicious both of the cookie and the icing! the only reason I didn’t give it five stars is because OMG the almond flour is so so crumbly! also, they really stuck to my pan. what do you recommend greasing the pan with? I used butter but I have used avocado spray in the past and neither one seems to work for me. I used a glass pan. I will make them again! ❤️
Carolyn says
Glass pan: That is your problem right there. My recipe clearly states to use a metal pan. Glass and ceramic conduct heat VERY differently. So that may have contributed to the crumbliness, but also would cause some sticking. They were clearly over-baked on the outside.
Rene' says
These were so delicious! I’ve been craving them since I finished them off.
Mary says
I like the sugar cookie but prefer more of a cream cheese frosting with less butter. I will switch it up next time. And yes, there will be a next time. Thank you Caroline for all your talent and efforts in producing such wonderful recipes.
Ruth says
This makes an amazing crust for a strawberry dessert I make!
Liz says
325 degrees is WAY too low and I have a new oven. I ended up baking mine for 40 min to get the right texture. Save time and up the heat to 350.
A bit on the sweet side but I made alterations that taste better- a couple sprinkles of cinnamon and a dash of salt for the icing.
Carolyn says
It is not too low at all, as you can see from the rave reviews. I’ve made it this way in several different ovens and it works out perfectly.
Just because your oven is new doesn’t mean it isn’t off! I recommend getting an inexpensive oven thermometer. But also, if you were using glass or ceramic pans, that will change the timing as well.
JoAnna says
I really don’t like the keto frostings, they are just too much for me usually. So I made these without the frosting and just bumped up the sweetener a little with about 1/4 c more (I like botcha sweet) and also because I hate partial egg recipes just used two medium/large eggs. And…since I was experimenting added 1T of gelatin. These turned out as super chewy but tender cookie bars. Just the right amount of sweetness. I think these are more brownie like in texture than when I tried making keto brownies or blondies.They have stayed more moist too.
Jess says
Do you need to use a metal baking pan? Or can a glass pan work?
Carolyn says
Glass bakes VERY differently than metal so they will likely take longer to bake through.
Mary Ann says
Delicious! Served them at Christmas and even non-keto followers liked them. Will definitely be making them again and again.
Mary Ann says
Absolutely delicious. Came out perfectly. Everyone loved them, even those who aren’t following a keto diet. A winner for sure!!
Pat m. says
these are Way way too sweet. the reason I am on keto is because a very bad sweet tooth! I baked these and about gagged on the over sweetness of the end result. I have made about 30 keto recipes before these and each one was right on. do I do not know what happened.
Carolyn says
Can you please tell me what sweetener you used? Because I suspect you used something that’s more concentrated, rather than something that measures like sugar. This really doesn’t have a huge amount of sweetener in it…
Laura says
Can we use any kind of baking soda and vanilla extract?
Carolyn says
Yes.
Anita Sweet says
Would these cut into holiday shapes easily?…
Liz says
any suggestions on ratio using an egg substitute??
Carolyn says
I am sorry, I don’t use them. So I really can’t say.
Karie Ann says
I’ve made these before and I substituted butter and cream cheese for non dairy versions. They were perfect except I felt they needed a bit more flavor as nondairy products lack on taste. This time I added in two teaspoons of pumpkin spice! Had to leave it in the oven about 10 minutes or so longer as it was still soft. But, I’m assuming that’s because I added the spice! Perfect after put in the frig. These are soooo yummy! I’ll be making these often. Thanks! 🙂
Carolyn says
That’s a great idea!
Marcia says
Thought they tasted better chilled vs room temp.
Emily says
They were okay. You can definitely tell that they are keto. I’ve tasted some awesome sweets from your site but I probably won’t remake this one because it doesn’t measure up to some of your other dessert recipes.