Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar cookie bars are what you need if you want the flavor of a classic sugar cookie but don’t have a lot of time.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Chill Time 15

Total Time 50

Servings bars

Calories 436kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

9x13" baking pan
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

For the Cookie Bars:

3¾ cups all-purpose flour (450g)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter softened (170g)
1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
5 cups powdered sugar (600g)
¼ heavy cream (60ml)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
Food coloring optional
Sprinkles for garnish

Instructions

For the Cookie Bars:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving enough excess to hang over the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions, and beat each until fully combined. Beat in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, stopping to scrape down the sides once during mixing. Spread the dough in an even layer into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cookie slab cool completely in the pan before removing it.

For the Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on low speed until powder sugar is combined, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Increase the speed to medium and slowly pour in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt, beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add food coloring, if desired, and beat until evenly colored.
Spread the frosting in an even layer on top of the cooled cookie slab. Top with sprinkles, and chill for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes

Measure the flour correctly. Using too much flour will yield dry sugar cookie bars. Accurately measuring flour is easy with a kitchen scale. But if you don’t have one, fluff the flour in its bag or container and scoop it into your measuring cup with a spoon. Do not scoop directly from the container, as you will almost certainly end up using too much.
Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature (softened) butter and eggs will incorporate easier with the other ingredients.
Don’t over-mix the sugar cookie bar dough. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined. Over-mixing will give you tough results instead of soft sugar cookie bars.
Line the baking pan with parchment paper. This is a must for two reasons: Firstly, it prevents the cookie dough bars from sticking to the baking dish (what a nightmare that would be!), and, if you leave a nice overhang with the parchment paper, it makes removing the slab of baked cookie bar so easy!
For picture-perfect slices. After you frost, chill the cookie bar slab for 15 minutes. This helps the bar and the frosting to firm up, so your slices are perfect. Use a large, sharp chef’s knife.
For a twist: Mix ½ cup of sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or finely chopped nuts into the cookie dough before spreading it into the pan.
Get creative with flavor. Add almond extract or lemon zest to the dough for a fun change.
To make Christmas sugar cookie bars: Just use Christmas sprinkles! You can also add your favorite “Christmas-y” food coloring to the frosting.
Switch up the frosting: Swap the vanilla buttercream out for tangy cream cheese frosting or a fudgy chocolate buttercream frosting.

Nutrition