How should these sugar cookie bars be stored?

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.

Can you leave out the sprinkles?

Yes, you can leave the sprinkles out of the cookie dough if you prefer. It won't affect the taste or texture that much.

Thick and Chewy Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Description

Gluten-free, small-batch Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, thick and chewy and topped with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles.

Ingredients

For the bars:

1 3/4 cups (182g) fine blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons (23g) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (13g) coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons sprinkles (I used jimmies)

For the frosting:

4 ounces (113g) full fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar (plus more, if necessary)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

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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!