Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars

These vegan sugar cookie bars and sweet, simple, and comforting. Here, they’re outfitted in pale pink in honor of the upcoming heart-themed “holiday,” but rest assured that you can dress them up or down however you see fit. Change up the color of the buttercream, add sprinkles or crushed freeze-dried raspberries, etc. The world is your vegan sugar cookie bar!

Hello! I’m dropping in today with a quick V-day recipe.

To be totally honest, Dan and I haven’t really celebrated this “holiday” since getting married.

I’m a romantic at heart (so is Dan), but every day is a great day to celebrate L-O-V-E. You feel me?

Gentle resistance to conformity aside, I’ll always welcome another reason to make sweets.

And so, here’s my take on a vegan sugar cookie—in bar form and slathered thick with buttercream.

You know me. I’m typically a coconut sugar and nut butter kind of sweet maker, but today we’re keeping things classic. Cane sugar, vegan butter, powdered sugar, etc.

Less than 10 ingredients stand between you and these crispy-chewy sugar cookie bars! Sending lots of LOVE and hugs. 💕

Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars

These vegan sugar cookie bars and sweet, simple, and comforting. Here, they’re outfitted in pale pink in honor of the upcoming heart-themed “holiday,” but rest assured that you can dress them up or down however you see fit. Change up the color of the buttercream, add sprinkles or crushed freeze-dried raspberries, etc.

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Line an 8 x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper (double-check your pan size—a 9 x 9-inch square pan won’t work for this recipe).
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla on high for 2 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Place the bowl next to the mixer.
• With the mixer off, add the flour mixture. Then, add the water on top. Beat for 15 seconds or until just incorporated. Do not over-mix. The dough should pull together into large, moist crumbles as it moves around the mixing bowl.
• Press the dough evenly into the lined baking pan.
• Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs at the tip.

While the cookie bar cools, prepare the buttercream.

• Beat the butter using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or hand mixer fitted with the beater attachments) until light and fluffy. About two minutes.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue beating until a fluffy buttercream consistency is reached. Add the vanilla and beat again. Then, slowly add a few drops of beet juice at a time and beat until the desired pink color is achieved. If you’ve achieved the color you want but the frosting is still too thick, add a tiny splash of plant-based milk (or as much as needed to thin) and beat again.
• The buttercream should be light, fluffy, and easy to spread yet still hold its shape.