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
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) Swerve Granular
- 1 large (1) egg, room temperature
- 1 large (1) egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (224 g) almond flour
- 1 1/2 tsp (1.5 tsp) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Frosting
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (136.5 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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.
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.
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.
Do you need to use a metal baking pan? Or can a glass pan work?
Glass bakes VERY differently than metal so they will likely take longer to bake through.
Delicious! Served them at Christmas and even non-keto followers liked them. Will definitely be making them again and again.
Absolutely delicious. Came out perfectly. Everyone loved them, even those who aren’t following a keto diet. A winner for sure!!
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.
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…
Can we use any kind of baking soda and vanilla extract?
Yes.
Would these cut into holiday shapes easily?…
any suggestions on ratio using an egg substitute??
I am sorry, I don’t use them. So I really can’t say.
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! 🙂
That’s a great idea!
Thought they tasted better chilled vs room temp.
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.
Hi Carolyn, thank you for all your delicious recipes! I read the question where you said not to use a glass pan without adjusting the time and temp. Could you link to the pan you use? Is it aluminum? Thank you. I can’t wait to try these!
I don’t have a metal 9×9 inch pan. Will a glass baking dish work?
Metal and glass bake completely differently. So you need to lower the temp by 25 degrees but also be prepared to bake much longer to get it to cook through.
gonna try it in a 9 inch cake pan, I don’t have a metal square 🙂
It will be great! A lot like this: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-sugar-cookie-cake/
Hi,
I am trying to make these but unfortunately the website In Katrina’s Kitchen is not working. I know this is a variation to your cut out sugar cookies. I was hoping you could pot the recipe or provide me with variations.
Happy Holiday’s
Katie
Oh dear! The problem is that I don’t have the recipe on this computer. But her site is up for me right now so here’s the link: http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2012/12/sugar-cookie-bars-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html