Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bars

These vegan Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bars are the perfect Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or date night in treat! They are also allergen-friendly and kid-friendly so everyone can get in on the flavor! {GF + VG}

What can I even say? Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bars were born out of a series of mishaps that resulted in a super-easy, ultimately tasty recipe! These bars were originally supposed to be a fancily decorated cake, harkening back to a Betty Crocker recipe a friend gave me years ago. But the strawberries were mushy, outside temps were below zero, and staying home and making do was the only way. So the cake became dessert bars, and I’m glad for each and every culinary setback. Otherwise, these simple gluten-free dessert bars may never had seen the light of day. 

Don’t worry, though. We prepare the bars in an 8×8 baking dish, so if you have a hankering for a traditional strawberry shortcake recipe, complete with strawberries and whipped cream, you can definitely still do that here. Serve the cake in large pieces, topped with your favorite goodies. Or cut them into small squares and stack them with goodies in between layers. If you have a round baking dish, instead, I say go for it (your baking time may vary slightly). 

We’re experiencing a pretty vicious cold snap here, on top of the pandemic. So we kept it simple and horizontally sliced our still-warm squares in half and doused the center with allergen-friendly butter, which melted delightfully upon contact.

You’ll also notice these are gluten-free vegan Strawberry Shortcake Bars, sweetened with monkfruit sweetener in place of granulated sugar, and allergen-friendly soy-free butter. We also played around with gluten-free flours because, no, they are not all the same. Basically, we loved every version we made, but they ARE different. 

Spiriteds, if you’re in the mood for something simple and sweet, festive but pragmatic, may I suggest these Gluten-Free Shortcake Bars? You really can turn them into anything you want for Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, or date night in at home!

They are so absolutely delicious, so let’s get baking!

GLUTEN-FREE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BARS INGREDIENTS:

Here’s are the ingredients you’ll need for your own Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bars! 

• Allergen-friendly butter. I like Earth Balance brand butter spreads. And because we have a soy allergy in the house, we also go for the soy-free version that comes in a small tub.
• Gluten-free flour. Spiriteds, we gotta talk about gluten-free flours and this recipe. Because depending on which gluten-free flour you choose, you’ll get a vastly different consistency and flavor. If you go with a gluten-free baking flour, you’ll end up with shortbread shortcake, pictured in this blog post. If you go with a coarser grained all-purpose flour, the final result may end up darker, flakier, fluffier, and just as delicious. Our family took a vote to see if one version came out ahead. Nope. Everyone was Team BOTH. So you can’t go wrong, but you will get different results.
• Monkfruit sweetener. I’ve been experimenting with monkfruit sweetener in baking for the last several months. It’s growing on me, and it works just fine in this recipe.
• Baking powder and sea salt. One tablespoon baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt.
• Almond milk. I choose unsweetened, but you could choose a flavored version, if desired.
• Toppings: Coconut cream, strawberries, monkfruit sweetener, or melted butter.

HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BARS:

1. Set the oven to 450 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8 baking dish. Line with parchment paper, if desired.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, monkfruit sweetener, baking powder, and sea salt. Cut in the butter. I like to use a potato masher for this step, however using two table knives in a criss cross fashion will also work. Then stir in the almond milk until just blended.
3. Spread the dough in the pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, rotating once halfway through. Remove from the oven, cut into squares, and top with desired ingredients. Slice in half horizontally, if desired, and add butter while the bars are still warm.
4. For a glaze, mash a handful of strawberries with almond milk or coconut cream and sweeten with monkfruit as desired.
5. Store covered at room temperature for about 2-3 days.

NOTE: Baking times may vary depending on the gluten-free flour used. Gluten-free baking flours may require a shorter bake time than standard all-purpose gluten-free flours. Your results may vary. Keep a close eye on the bars, especially toward the end of the baking time to prevent them from burning or drying out.

MORE DELICIOUS GLUTEN-FREE BAKED GOODS!

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Bars are all the rage in our house right now. But they aren’t the only sweet and satisfying gluten-free baked good on the blog! Here are more favorites we can’t get enough of!

• Strawberry Jam Bars
• Paleo Zucchini Muffins
• Gluten-Free Shortbread Bars
• Buttery Almond Cookies
• Cranberry Pecan Cookie Bars

Spiriteds, I hope this tasty treat of a recipe finds you safe, warm, and well. I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

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