Funfetti Pink Sugar Cookie Bars {Gluten & dairy free}
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These funfetti pink sugar cookie bars are the pink, barbie-core recipe you’ve been looking for! They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and are free of artificial colors.
If anyone was going to jump on the Barbie trends, y’all know it was going to be me (the blogger with the MCM pink kitchen 😜). I went back and forth for a while, trying to decide what pink recipe would be perfect, and I landed on these absolutely amazing sugar cookie bars! They’re funfetti with naturally dyed sprinkles, but taste just like Lofthouse cookies!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It has no artificial colors! These are naturally colored with fruit rather than red 40 😉
- They’re gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free. And it’s easy to make them egg free!
The Ingredients for funfetti pink sugar cookie bars
- Almond Flour and Tapioca Starch. Arrowroot starch will easily swap 1:1 for the tapioca starch, but I haven’t tried a 1:1 swap for the almond flour in this recipe.
- Baking powder. I use this for a corn and aluminum-free version!
- Palm shortening. I use this palm shortening. Palm shortening produces a much cakier texture in baked goods, similar to butter or regular shortening. I haven’t tried coconut oil in place of this.
- Date sugar. The reason I used date sugar in this recipe as opposed to coconut sugar is that it’s much lighter in color, making it a better option for sugar cookies. You can try to use golden coconut sugar instead if needed.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Egg. For an egg substitute, you can use a flax egg. See note in recipe for detailed instructions.
- Sprinkles. I use these sprinkles!
- Vanilla Frosting and Strawberry Powder. This makes the beautiful and delicious pink icing!
How to make gluten & dairy free funfetti pink sugar cookie bars
- Step One. Cream the palm shortening, date sugar, and vanilla together.
- Step Two. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder.
- Step Three. Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients and add the egg. Fold in sprinkles.
- Step Four. Add the dough to the baking sheet and bake.
- Step Five. Make the frosting.
- Step Six. Frost the cookie bars and add sprinkles.
Tips & tricks
- Adjust the pink to your liking. I like using strawberry powder, but you can use blended freeze-dried strawberries, or even beet powder! Add more or less depending on how pink you’re trying to get the frosting.
- Taste frosting as you go. If you wind up adding more strawberry powder, you’ll get more of a strawberry flavor, so just taste as you go to ensure you like both the color and flavor.
- Watch the cooking time! Almond flour can tend to burn quickly if your oven runs hot, so keep an eye on the oven. My oven runs hot and I tend to lean on the shorter cooking times for recipes like this.
How to store the sugar cookie bars:
These cookie bars are best fresh since the icing is the fluffiest when first combined! However, you can easily store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days, or freeze them for a month.
Can you make this recipe AIP and nut-free?
This particular recipe isn’t a good candidate, but I have a very similar recipe that you can swap out! Simply use the base of this recipe and add the strawberry powder to make it pink!
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PrintFunfetti Pink Sugar Cookie Bars {Gluten & dairy free}
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the bars
- 1/2 cup palm shortening
- 1/2 cup date sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups almond flour
- 3 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 egg (see notes for egg free)
- 2 tbsp sprinkles
For the frosting
- 1 container vanilla frosting (you can also make it homemade)
- 2–3 tsp strawberry powder (sub-blended freeze-dried strawberries)
- 2 tbsp sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line an 8×8″ baking pan with greased parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a medium-sized bowl, cream the date sugar, palm shortening and vanilla together until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the egg and stir to combine. Fold in the sprinkles until fully incorporated.
- Add the cookie dough to the greased baking sheet and evenly press down. Transfer to the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes or until baked through and lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Add the frosting to a stand mixer, or large bowl (using a hand mixer), add the strawberry powder one teaspoon at a time while mixing. Add strawberry powder until you get your desired pink color and the frosting is fluffy.
- Evenly spread the frosting over the cookie bars. Top with sprinkles and slice into 9 cookie bars (or 18 small bars).
Notes
For an egg substitute, you can use a flax egg. Mix 1 tbsp flax meal and 3 tbsp water and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Use in the recipe in place of an egg.
All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 506
- Fat: 26.3g
- Carbohydrates: 55.3g
- Fiber: .9g
- Protein: 3.9g
Do you have any egg replacement suggestions other than flax? I can’t do seeds
These were yummy! Thank you, Michelle! I had to use butter because my shortening was expired and I used a flax egg. They were delicious and fun for the family.
★★★★★
Do you think I could sub in coconut flour and gelatin egg to make it AIP?
★★★★
I haven’t found a sub for almond flour in this recipe that works, sorry!
Could we use something else for the egg? I can’t do seeds. Maybe gelatin?
You can use the base of this recipe (https://unboundwellness.com/sugar-cookie-fruit-pizza-gluten-free/) and add the strawberry powder to make it pink!