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Sugar Cookie Bars has all the flavors of a sugar cookie but in a perfect bar form. Top the bars with a simple frosting and sprinkles for the ultimate sugar cookie bar.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe:
We love making sugar cookie recipe for the holidays. There is something about this soft and chewy cookie that makes the holidays extra special. But these Sugar Cookie Bars are easier to make and we still get the flavors, texture of a sugar cookie.
We love making these sugar cookie bars for many reasons. They are made with easy ingredients. Are simple to make and I can change the frosting and sprinkles to what holiday I am celebrating. They are also extremely delicious so it makes it easy to make them.
If you are a Sugar Cookie lover like my family is, make these bars or this Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe. Sugar cookies make the perfect holiday dessert.
Ingredients:
For the Cookie Bar:
- Unsalted Butter, softened
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
For the Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter, softened
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Food Coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars:
- Prepare the Oven and Pan – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Mix together Wet Ingredients – In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix for 1-2 minutes until they are incorporated.
- Add in Dry Ingredients – Then hand stir in the flour, baking powder or baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Spread into Pan – Then spread the dough into the prepared baking pan and press the dough down slightly. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Baking the bars until they are golden brown.
- When Cooked Cool – The middle should be just set and the edges should have a very slight color on them. Then move the pan to a wire rack to allow the bars to cool completely.
- Combine Frosting Ingredients – Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth.
- Add In Milk and Vanilla – Add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Then dye the frosting with food color (optional).
- Spread onto Cookie Bar – Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookie bar and top with the sprinkles (optional).
- Serve and Enjoy – Then the bars are ready to slice, serve and enjoy!
How to Make Frosting:
Making the frosting recipe for this sugar cookie bars is easy to do. We like to spread a thick on the bars to make sure each bite has these tasty frosting in it.
- Combine the butter and sugar. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Then add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Add the food coloring. This is optional. If you plan to dye the frosting, go ahead and add the food color now. You can use different colors based on the holiday you are celebrating.
- Decorate the cookies. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookie bar and top with the sprinkles if doing so. Use different color sprinkles for the holiday or occasion you are celebrating.
How to Decorate Sugar Cookie Bars:
Decorating these sugar cookie bars are so fun to do. The options are endless and can be customized to what you are celebrating or what you have on hand.
- Change the Frosting – We like a buttercream frosting, but you can easily use a premade frosting or don’t frost it at all. Some of my kids are not big frosting fans.
- Change the Color – We made pink frosting for this recipe, but you easily do a white frosting and put colorful sprinkles on it. Do a red frosting with white sprinkles. So many different ways to decorate.
- Add Sprinkles – We love adding sprinkles to these bars. But you can easily omit them or change them to different types of sprinkles. Feel free to decorate how you prefer.
- Pipe Frosting – To get real creative, you can even pipe a message on the cookie bars.
- Cookie Cake – Bake this in a round pizza pan instead of a baking dish. It will turn out like a cookie cake. You can use a piping bag to decorate the cake with frosting.
How to Store:
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week. I suggest placing parchment paper in between the layers so they do not stick.
How long will they last:
These bars will last about a week if stored properly. Make sure they are stored in an air tight container or if on a tray, cover with saran wrap.
How to Freeze:
The best method is to freeze the plain cookie bars. We recommend not frosting the bars if you plan on freezing them. Place inside a freezer container or bag with wax paper between the layers.
You can freeze the bars up to 3 months. When read to serve, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then frost and serve.
This is a great option to save time for parties and holidays. You can save oven space and time for things needed for that day.
Sugar Cookie Bars Tips:
- Stand Mixer – It is much easier to mix the sugar cookie dough using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. While you can use a electric mixer, I prefer to use my stand mixer for this recipe.
- Softened Butter – Allow the butter to sit at room temperature and soften before using. It will be easier to mix and result in a smoother consistency.
- Sheet Pan – You can make thinner bars by using a sheet pan instead of a baking dish. Just keep in mind to adjust the cooking time for these thinner bars. They will not take as long to cook.
- Allow to cool – The bars should be completely cool before adding the frosting. Do not rush this step or the bars will not look as pretty.
Print Recipe here for Sugar Cookie Bars:
Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- FOR THE COOKIE BARS:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 2 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Food Coloring optional
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan.
- To Make the Cookie Bars: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix for 1-2 minutes until they are incorporated.
- Then hand stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Then spread the dough into the 9X13 pan and press the dough down slightly. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. The middle should be just set and the edges should have a very slight color on them. Then move the pan to a wire rack to allow the bars to cool completely.
- To Make the Frosting: Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Then add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Then dye the frosting with food color (optional).
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookie bar and top with the sprinkles (optional).
- Then the bars are ready to slice, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
- Easy Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars Recipe
- Strawberry Shortcake Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake Recipe
