These gluten-free Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Bars are thick and chewy and topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. They're made with almond flour, cornstarch and coconut flour, so they stay soft and fluffy without being cakey and have the most amazing chewy texture. The addition of almond extract in both the cookie dough and frosting adds bakery style flavor without making these bars overly sweet. They're made in an 8-inch square pan, so they're a small-batch recipe, and if they can't be enjoyed right away, they store well in the fridge or freezer!
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Table of Contents
The magic ingredients for extra chewy almond flour sugar cookie bars
Ever since I shared these 8-ingredient, drop-style, no chill almond flour sugar cookies, I've been wanting to make a version that was a cookie bar. The bars, of course, had to be much thicker and chewier than the sugar cookies!
While almond flour lends itself to making baked goods chewy, cakes, cookies and bars can also turn out a little soft and even mushy if they're not paired with the right ingredients.
Since almond flour has a high oil and moisture content, I often pair it with cornstarch, which helps absorb some moisture and keeps baked goods thick, tender and chewy.
After the first round of testing however, I knew these bars needed a little something extra. So, in addition to cornstarch, I added coconut flour to help absorb even more moisture, which also enhanced the soft and chewy texture.
And, for good measure, I added an extra egg yolk to the cookie dough to boost the chewiness and thickness.
Key ingredients and substitutions
Below are just a few of the key ingredients and notes on substitutions. Scroll to the recipe card at the end for all of the ingredients and quantities used.
- Almond flour - Fine blanched almond flour creates a smoother texture in these cookie bars compared to almond meal, which has a coarser texture.
- Cornstarch - This is a pantry staple for us since I use it for thickening sauces and adding to cakes and cookies. Tapioca starch is often used as a substitute but I find I need to use more of it to get the same results as cornstarch. It can also sometimes add a sandy texture to cookies if used in large quantities. So, I didn't test these cookie bars with tapioca starch.
- Coconut flour - A little goes a long way as it's super absorbent, so you just need 2 tablespoons for the cookie dough.
- Eggs - 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk at room temperature.
- Almond extract - I love the flavor that almond extract adds to both the bars and frosting. If you're not a fan, you can just use vanilla extract.
- Sprinkles - You'll need sprinkles for both the batter and to top the frosting. Jimmies are best, especially for adding to the batter. Feel free to change up the colors to celebrate different holidays! Make sure they're labelled gluten-free in order to keep these bars gluten-free.
- Cream cheese - This adds tanginess to the frosting, so it's not as sweet as using a buttercream frosting for the bars. Make sure you use full-fat cream cheese for the best texture. (Light cream cheese can result in a thinner frosting).
How to make these frosted sugar cookie bars (step-by-step with photos)
These bars are actually pretty simple to make. The hardest part is waiting a few hours for the bars to cool before frosting!
Measuring ingredients
For convenience, US cup measurements are included in the recipe card for this recipe. To ensure greater accuracy, however, weight and volume measurements are also provided. So, if you see grams (g), you'll want to use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, and if you see milliliters (ml), you'll want to use a liquid measuring cup. Smaller quantities of ingredients are provided in teaspoons and tablespoons.
Leanne's tips for recipe success
- Creaming butter and sugar. Make sure you cream them together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Depending on your electric mixer, that could take about 3-5 minutes. This will add air to the batter and help keep the bars thick and puffy.
- Amount of sprinkles: 2 tablespoons of jimmies might not seem like a lot, but I promise, it's plenty. You don't want to go overboard on the sprinkles as it will affect the texture of the bars.
- Bake at 325F. That's not a typo! I know most cookies are baked at 350F but these bars bake best at a slightly lower temperature. I tested them on 350F and the edges and surface of the bars browned too much before the middle was done.
- Don't overbake. I know I say this about all baked goods, but it's really important for these bars as they'll just end up dry and the edges will harden. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the top is puffy and just starting to brown.
- Let the bars fully cool. Not only is this important for the frosting (it will melt on warm cookies) but almond flour baked goods need time to firm up when they come out of the oven. Cooling will result in perfectly chewy bars!
Recipe FAQs
Since the frosting on the bars is primarily made with cream cheese, you'll need to store these bars in an airtight container in the fridge. But, don't worry, this doesn't make them hard and dry. The almond flour keeps them moist, and the refrigeration actually makes them chewier!
Yes! These bars freeze perfectly, even with the frosting. Just store the bars in a single layer in an airtight container. They will last in the freezer for 1-2 months. You can also freeze the slab of bars before they're frosted. Just wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap and place in a resealable freezer bag in the freezer. Defrost at room temperature before frosting.
Yes, you can leave the sprinkles out of the cookie dough if you prefer. It won't affect the taste or texture that much.
More almond flour cookie recipes
- Almond Flour Chocolate Blossom Cookies
- Almond Flour Cranberry Orange Icebox Cookies
- Almond Flour Snickerdoodles
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Thick and Chewy Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the bars:
- 1 ¾ cups (182 g) fine blanched almond flour
- 3 tablespoons (23 g) cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons (13 g) coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles, (I used jimmies)
For the frosting:
- 4 ounces (113 g) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar, (plus more, if necessary)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with overhanging parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cornstarch, coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the egg, yolk, vanilla and almond extracts. Mix again until well combined.
- On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just combined. The dough will be thick.
- Stir in the sprinkles, being careful not to overmix.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the dough out in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 18-21 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is puffy and starting to brown. Let cool fully in the pan on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add in the powdered sugar and almond extract and beat until smooth and creamy. (Add more powdered sugar if you prefer a thicker and sweeter frosting).
- Spread the frosting over the bars and top with sprinkles.
Notes
- Make sure you cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Depending on your mixer, that could take about 3-5 minutes. This will add air to the batter and help keep the bars thick and puffy.
- Two tablespoons of sprinkles might not seem like a lot, but I promise, it's plenty. You don't want to go overboard on the sprinkles as it will affect the texture of the bars.
- To keep these bars gluten-free, make sure your sprinkles are labelled gluten-free.
- It's important that you don't overbake these bars as they'll just end up dry and the edges will harden.
- Not only is it important for the bars to cool so the frosting doesn't melt, but almond flour baked goods need time to firm up when they come out of the oven. Cooling will result in perfectly chewy bars!
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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