Sugar Cookie Bars

Soft, tender and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars are piled high with a sweet buttercream frosting and loads of sprinkles! If you prefer, we’ve also included a tested cream cheese frosting as well!

These bars are simple to make and are great to serve at a party or potluck! You can change the color or frosting and sprinkles for a festive treat, depending on the holiday or event you’re making these for.

Sugar Cookie Bars

I love a good chewy and soft sugar cookie, but I’ve had far too many tasteless, overly thick, cake-like,  dry sugar cookie bars in my life. But that all changes with this recipe!

These sugar cookie bars have the perfect ratio of bar to frosting — instead of these bars being overly thick, they are on the thinner side. This ensures an ultra-chewy bar instead of a cakey bar that has too strong of a flour flavor. To get those results, we fully melt the butter and add an additional egg yolk (which also adds more richness to these bars).

And finally, we top these bars with sweet vanilla buttercream and plenty of sprinkles! When we polled our Instagram readers about frosting, the votes came in at exactly 50-50 — half of you said buttercream is a must and half said cream cheese so we’ve included a (tested) recipe for both frostings!

Personally, I love cream cheese frosting but do prefer the buttercream on these bars.

Tips for Making Sugar Cookie Bars

• Let the melted butter cool. Once the butter melts, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the melted butter is still hot, it will melt the sugar and cause greasy sugar cookie bars. The butter may even separate and pool as the bars bake.
• Measure carefully. Flour is the most important measurement in this recipe. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you are likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield thicker and less-flavorful (more cake-like) cookie bars. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife.
• Watch the baking time. These bars can go from perfectly baked to overbaked in a matter of a minute or two. The texture changes from soft and rich bars to hard and flavorless when they’re in the oven too long. As soon as the top of the bars is no longer glossy and the very edges are a light brown, these bars are done!
• Don’t overmix the cookie batter. Too much stirring is going to start the gluten development in the batter and make the cookie bars less soft and chewy.
• Pure vanilla extract will make a big impact on the flavor. For an even stronger vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste or a full vanilla bean in place of the vanilla extract. There are general equivalency directions on jars of vanilla bean paste, so consult that for how much to use.
• Set out the butter an hour before making the frosting. If the butter isn’t at room temperature, it won’t mix and whip up as smoothly. Here are some tips for how to bring butter to room temperature quickly. We also want to make sure the butter isn’t at all melted; again, it won’t whip up how we want it to.
• Wait for the cookie bars to fully cool before frosting. Otherwise, they will melt the frosting resulting in the wrong texture.
• Line the pan with parchment paper, but don’t line the pan with foil or wax paper for this recipe. Leave an overhang of parchment paper to easily remove the sugar cookie bars and cut into them on a cutting board.
• Use a sharp chef’s knife and make decisive cuts. Run the knife under warm water, dry it on a kitchen towel, and repeat for each cut.

Using the Extra Egg White

Sugar Cookie Bars call for one large egg and one egg yolk. The additional egg yolk contributes to richer flavor and softer texture. You can save the egg white and add it to breakfast the next morning. We love this Egg Skillet) or use it in our favorite Egg Wrap. 

Sugar Cookie Bar Storage

Sugar Cookie Bars are best enjoyed 1-2 days after being made. Leftover bars can be tightly wrapped and frozen but they do lose some taste/texture after being frozen and thawed.

Sugar Cookie Bars FAQs

More dessert recipes

• Carmelitas oatmeal cookie bars with caramel and chocolate
• 7 Layer Bars with a graham cracker crust
• Apple Crumble Bars with salted caramel
• Snickerdoodle Blondies with white chocolate
• Cookie Bars with chocolate chips

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5 from 3 votes

Sugar Cookie Bars

By Chelsea Lords

Soft and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars are topped with sweet buttercream and sprinkles! You can also switch it up with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes minutes

Total Time: 48 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 bars

Equipment

• Baking dish 9 x 13-inch
• Parchment paper
• Cooling Rack

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ Cooking spray

Sugar Cookie Bars

• ▢ 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt see note 1
• ▢ 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour see note 2
• ▢ Optional flavorings see note 3

Frosting—See Note 4

• ▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoons sprinkles optional, to top bars

Instructions 

• Lightly spritz a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray (this helps the parchment paper stick nicely), then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Lightly spray parchment paper with cooking spray and set aside. Melt butter in the microwave and set aside for about 5–7 minutes to cool to room temperature. (If it is hot, it will melt the sugar and cause greasy cookie bars.) Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C).
• Once butter is cooled to room temperature, add granulated sugar. Vigorously whisk until sugar and butter are incorporated, about 2 minutes. (It may seem like they won’t incorporate, but whisk until a smooth mixture forms.) Add 1 egg and whisk until combined. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. If using an optional flavoring, add in here: either add 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (what I typically use) or the almond extract and lemon zest, or the clementine zest and 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom. Whisk to combine.
• Add baking powder, salt, and spooned and leveled flour (see note 3). Mix until just combined, being careful to not overmix (which will result in dense bars). Use a spatula to transfer dough to the prepared pan. It’s sticky, so lightly spritz your hands with cooking spray and press the dough firmly into an even layer.
• Bake 23–28 minutes or until the top of the bars are no longer glossy and edges are a very light golden color. Be careful to not overbake; the bars will not be as soft and flavorful. Remove from oven and let pan cool on a wire cooling rack until bars reach room temperature.
• In a large bowl, add room-temperature butter. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Add vanilla, cream, and salt; beat to combine. Add powdered sugar and beat (on low speed) to combine. Once combined, increase mixer speed and beat until frosting is very light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. It should turn a brighter white. Add a few drops of food coloring (dye frosting to your desired color intensity) Beat on low speed for about 15–20 seconds, just to color the frosting.
• Use the parchment paper overhang to remove bars, then use a table knife to spread on the completely cooled bars. Immediately top with sprinkles if using. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Fine sea salt is not the same as table salt. If using table salt reduce to 1/4 teaspoon.

Note 2: To spoon and level flour, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you will pack in way too much flour, which will yield thick and flavorless cookie bars.

Note 3: Optional flavorings include 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and 2 teaspoons zest of clementines or 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract and 2 teaspoons zest of lemon

Note 4: If you like cream cheese frosting better, here’s the cream cheese frosting we tested for these bars:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Tiny pinch of salt
• Red food coloring

Beat room temperature cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth, scraping the sides down as needed, then add in the food coloring to desired color intensity. Beat until frosting is colored. Spread on completely cooled bars.

Storage: Sugar Cookie Bars are best enjoyed 1–2 days after being made. Leftover bars can be tightly wrapped and frozen, but they do lose some flavor/texture after being frozen and thawed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 19mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 326IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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