I’ve had a streak of bad luck lately with creating new recipes. Out of the last dozen I’ve made, since the start of the year, one has made it to the blog. It’s been frustrating. So for today’s post, I just turned to these lofthouse sugar cookies from Cookies & Cups.
I’ve been in the mood for a good sugar cookie for weeks and I’ve tried a lot of recipes for healthier sugar cookies, but none of them were exactly what I was looking for. Some were crunchy, which I can’t deal with, but most of them were just plain bad. So I just took Shelly’s recipe and used 1/2 whole spelt, used 1/2 coconut oil, reduced the sugar by a third and called it a day.
Macro lenses are neat. Just look at that! Raspberries are really hairy. You see that fuzziness? Those are also hairs. I’ve been amusing myself by zooming in and out. I thought you should know raspberries are hairy. So there you are.
Back to the cookies.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper Lofthouse cookie so I don’t really know what the texture should be like, but these were like a thick, dense cookie. I’m sure that the texture would have been better had I used the full amount of sugar but I was happy with how these came out.
And Mr. Texanerin loved them. And he’s not really a fan of baked goods or of things healthified. These have been his favorite goodie that I’ve posted lately and he’s requested that we have them again soon (that almost never happens).
Mr. T – Do you have to take pictures? Can I have another one? Are you done yet? When are the pictures happening? Can I have one for dessert after dinner? Are these healthy? Really?! What… why’d you put frosting on them?!
But me… I think I just want a 100% normal sugar cookie. I give up on the healthy sugar cookie thing. It’s just not for me.
So while Mr. T was eating the plain bars, I was eating the frosting, which he claims tastes like ice cream, with a spoon. It’s my favorite icing ever. Not the least bit healthy but oh well. I can live with that. And it does firm up in the fridge. These pictures were taken right after making and frosting the bars. It fits well with anything chocolate, vanilla or lemon.
You know that thing I said about posting more regularly? Yeah, well, I’m trying. ;) It’s not exactly easy when all your recipes fail and there’s no light. Oh and fun fact! Fun fact! In my city in January, there were a total of:
- 12.8 hours of sunshine
- 23 days completely without sunshine
- 28 days with less than half an hour of sunshine
I can’t wait for my US trip in June! There… there I will have my sun.
Whole Grain Lofthouse Bars with Raspberry White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24 bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (112 grams) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (112 grams) coconut oil (or more butter), room temperature
- 1 cup (220 grams) sugar (or 1 1/2 cups if you don't mind sugar)
- 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 egg
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup (150 grams) whole spelt flour
- 1 1/4 (156 grams) cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces (225 grams) white chocolate, melted
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (115 grams) powdered sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 - 3/4 cup (.6 - 1.5dl) frozen or fresh raspberries
- fresh raspberries for garnish, optional
Lofthouse Cookie Bar Base:
Raspberry White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a jelly roll pan (15x10x1) with a piece of parchment paper or foil and spray very lightly with cooking spray.
- Cream the butter, coconut oil, sugar, and cream cheese in a large bowl. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Then add in the whole spelt, all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix just until combined.
- Press the dough, which will be very sticky, into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Cool completely and then frost.
- For the frosting: with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, white chocolate and butter.
- Once thoroughly combined, add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add 1/4 cup of raspberries and if you like how it looks and tastes, stop there. Add up to another 1/2 cup of raspberries.
- Spread over the cooled bars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- My bars came out slightly thicker than the original recipe as I made half the recipe in an 8x8 pan. I baked them for 20 minutes.
Cookie base adapted from Today's Mama, as seen on Cookies & Cups
Join over 12,400 readers and sweeten up
your inbox with new posts for free!
This subscription is free of charge and can be canceled at any time.
43 comments on “Whole Grain Lofthouse Bars with Raspberry White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting” — Add one!
I feel your frustration! There's nothing like a crappy week (or many) when your recipes don't work. And then you feel like you can't just turn around and try again because then you'll be eating that same thing for days on end.
I have a love/hate relationship with the lofthouse cookies, so I think I'd actually prefer these.
Exactly! I'm so sick of recipe developing. I haven't tried something completely original in about a week now and I feel so much happier! Stuff is actually working now. Yay!
The cookie bar base (and the frosting, who am I kidding?) sound AMAZING! I'm sooo bothered by the hairy raspberries though. One of those things nature does that I'd rather not notice ;-)
Really?! But it's so… awesome! Haha. I hope I haven't ruined raspberries for you. Really. I hope you can still eat them! :)
These look SO good. I would looooove one right now. And I love the close-up of the hairy raspberry. HA!
I seriously think that's one of my favorite pictures ever. You can't tell from this small picture, but it's so neat and hairy! :)
hahaha loving the hairy raspberries…and that is so crazy how you don't have any sun…like really that is like NO sun…at least you can look forward to your trip in June…the bars look so good. i love the sugar cookie.
Thank you! Someone who understands that this sun thing is RIDICULOUS! I just can't get over it. And yay… happy you like the hairy raspberry! :) And you're right, my trip to the US is giving me something to look forward to. Definitely makes it easier to get through this awful winter!
Holy cow Erin! I cant believe the lack of sunshine you have there! Although, there isnt much more here… I found a sweet spot in the master bedroom with two intersecting windows. Even without sunshine the windows give me enough light (passing through all the clouds haha) to get good enough pics, even at 4pm. And Mr. T sounds EXACTLY like my Mr haha! So funny! I love the close up on the raspberry! So awesome!! :D and that frosting does look like heaven!
Thank you! :)
I actually tried to find similar statistics for the Seattle / Vancouver area (because that's where we'd like to move!) and couldn't find anything. It's good to know that it's better than here! I don't think I can stand this lack of sunshine much longer. :(
I'm happy to hear that your new place has a good lighting spot! And at 4pm?! Oh my gosh. I'm jealous.
This looks amazing, love the frosting. For some reason my gluten free bakes are also not going the way I want to.. ;-(
Thanks! And hey, let's blame the weather! And not just because of your blog name. But it makes sense. We need something to blame. :)
I know I am the nth person to say it- but that fristing looks amazing!! I am tempted to run out to the store so I can whip up a batch right now and eat it from the bowl :)
Well I don't mind! Thanks. :) And there's nothing wrong with eating it from the bowl. You say trouble that way! ;)
Your macro lens produces stunning clarity Erin!! And I've been dying for a lofthouse cookie lately. And always think about making them myself but I never really get around to researching the recipes or trying my own. These look BEYOND amazing Erin! and the frosting… well I would be happy with just that ;)
Thanks! And yeah, I love the macro lens! It's so fun to play with. :) I hope to see some Lofthouse cookies on your blog soon. I'm sure they'll be magnificent. :)
I've made raspberry white chocolate blondies, the frosting looks to die for. So yummy!.
And I've seen them! They look great. :)
oh wow you went all the way here. They looks awesome, and I didn't know you guys only got that little amount of sun shine. That really sucks. On my cloudy days I do too have a hard time taking pictures. I hate that because my dish may be great but the pictures may just not be as great which results in not posting at all!!
Oh no. :( I think 100% of my pictures in the last 3-4 months were taken on really dark and dreary days. That's why I use a black background most of the time. Can't wait for the summer! I hope you get more sunshine coming your way. :)
These are gorgeous, Erin! That frosting sounds amazing!
Thank you! And yeah… I would be totally okay with just the frosting. :)
Love your spin on them! That frosting, oh my!
Thanks! And thanks for the recipe. :)
Great photos! These look totally delicious.
Thank you! I love the raspberry one but not really the others, so that means a lot to me. Thanks again. :)
These are so cute, perfect for Valentine's Day! I love raspberries!
Mr. T sounds just like Mr. C&C.; Always ready to eat. Hello, life of a food blogger's husband! ;-) These look super!
Haha. Actually Mr. T was talking about Mr. C&C; last night. I'll email you about that in a few minutes. :)
You can't go wrong with Lofthouse sugar cookies. I love these bars, Erin!
Thanks! I'll have to give the "real" ones a try some time!
Your blog is so lovely and girly! J'adore!
Thank you! It's funny because I'm not girly at all in real life. But here? Here I like it. :)
Love the idea of that frosting and that lovely little sugar cookie underneath.
Thanks, Kathyrn! :)
I don't think I ever had a Lofthouse cookie either, but your bars look yummy! White chocolate and berries again – YAY! ;)
Yay is right, my white chocolate + berry loving friend! :) And I think we both need to try a lofthouse cookie.
Loft House cookies are basically the best soft sugar cookie in the entire world. They are soft, and crumble kind of easily, but the center is like…puffy? And the frosting is perfectly soft and has just the right amount of sweetness. Yeah, Loft House cookies are great.
And I know what you mean with recipes failing and no sunshine. School has kept me from baking regularly and it's been raining and cloudy and on days when it's not cloudy I get out of school by the time the good sunshine is gone :/
Aha! Yes, these crumbled kind of easily. Soft. Puffy? Not really. So at least it's not that far off. :)
Aww, sorry that you're having problems with the weather, too. I guess you just have to shoot on cloudy / rainy days. There's no way around it. But sometimes it's way more than just cloudy / rainy. It looks like… I don't know. Someone described it as "run and hide weather." That sounds accurate. It stinks! I can't wait for the summer.
I would eat that frosting straight from the bowl too. White chocolate and cream cheese is such a good combination so it sounds perfect in a frosting! Gotta try these…
Nice to know that raspberries are nice and hairy… and still so attractive-looking! :p
Haha. Yup… very hairy. :) And I want to put white chocolate cream cheese frosting on everything that requires frosting. It's just SOO much better than buttercream or… anything!
That frosting looks so tasty! These bars look so fabulous.
Thank you!