Notes: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. Regular whole wheat flour may be substituted in a pinch, but the cookies will have detectable “wheat-y” taste.
Use store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like
this one!) for the gluten-free option, but make sure you measure them carefully,
like this or with
my favorite kitchen scale!
If using coconut oil, the cookies may have a faintly detectable coconut flour.
Vanilla extract may be substituted for the butter extract, but the cookies will not have the same iconic taste.
I highly recommend using the vanilla stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients (you'll use it in all of
these recipes of mine, too!), and I buy mine online
here because that's the best price I've found.
You cannot substitute additional honey for the vanilla stevia because the cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients. However, you may substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g)
coconut sugar (or granulated sugar, if you aren’t concerned about keeping these cookies clean eating friendly) for both the honey and stevia, but the cookies will appear “speckled” if using coconut sugar because it doesn’t dissolve as well.
If you prefer not to use the vanilla stevia in the frosting, then substitute 1 teaspoon of
this powdered stevia OR 2-3 tablespoons of
Truvia or granulated sugar.
Pure maple syrup or
agave may be substituted for the honey.
This is the instant pudding mix that I use. You just need the dry instant pudding mix—don’t prepare it according to the package directions! You may omit it, but you’ll need to increase the vanilla stevia (and just mix the ingredients together until incorporated—not for 2 full minutes!). Without the instant pudding mix, the frosting will be a bit runny and may slightly drip down the sides of your cookie bars.
This is the vanilla bean paste that I use. It’s affordable (I buy it online
here!), and those black vanilla bean speckles gives the frosting an elegant look! You can substitute vanilla extract or omit the vanilla bean paste in the frosting, if you prefer.
{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat, lower sugar}