Sugar Cookie Bars

 

Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar Cookie Bars are thick, soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet. They have all the same flavors of a sugar cookie, just in a bar form! Topped with frosting and sprinkles, making the best dessert!
Servings: 12 regular sized cookie bars 

Ingredients

Sugar cookie bars

• 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 whole egg, at room temperature 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 3 Tbsp. cream cheese; softened at room temperature 
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Sugar cookie frosting

• 1/4 cup butter; softened at room temperature 
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. almond extract

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl with a hand or stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and cream cheese until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
• Slowly add in the flour and baking powder until a thick cookie dough batter has formed. Be sure not to overmix. 
• Spread the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan and evenly spread with a spatula. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until set and the top is a light golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes.
• In the meantime, you can make the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add more milk if the frosting is too thick and you can add more powdered sugar if the frosting isn't thick enough.
• Once cooled, spread the frosting generously on top of the cookie bars. Top with sprinkles, and cut into 16 square bars. Enjoy!

Notes

Notes: 

• Store any leftovers in the same baking pan or transfer to an airtight container. They will keep fresh for 3 days or you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• You can cut the frosted bars into 16 smaller squares or 9 large squares. You can also cut them into rectangular bars or triangles.
• Refrigerate the frosted cookie bars for a few minutes before cutting the bars to get perfect cut bars. 
• Switch out the frosting and sprinkles for different holidays. You can make these for just about any occassion!

• RECIPE VARIATIONS 

  Make Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to the dough. For the frosting, add 1/2 teaspoon to the frosting and use lemon juice instead of vanilla extract. 

  Add chocolate. You can add mini, milk, semi-sweet, white chocolate chips to the cookie dough. Use a chocolate frosting instead and top with more chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles. 

  Can be made for any holiday. You can literally make these cookie bars for any holiday or occasion. I love making these for birthdays by using white frosting and rainbow sprinkles or Christmas by using red and green sprinkles. You will want any reason to make these, trust me!

  Use your favorite frosting. You can use the classic buttercream frosting I made for this recipe, a cream cheese frosting, lemon frosting, chocolate frosting, strawberry, or any other flavor that you love. They will also work!

  Skip the frosting. If you prefer to leave out the frosting you totally can. If you still want to add sprinkles, you can add 1/3 cup to the cookie dough. You can also top the dough in the baking pan with sprinkles before placing them in the oven. 

  WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

  This Sugar Cookie Bar recipe is simple, easy enough for anyone to make, and can be customized. I love making these bars when I have a sugar cookie craving but don’t feel like making cookies. You can skip a step since you don’t have to roll any cookies out or scoop cookie dough. 

  Everyone will love these! Who doesn’t love sugar cookie bars!?

  You can make them for birthday celebrations, Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, baby showers, you name it…this sweet treat is perfect for all occasions. 

  
  

  TIPS

• Use a sharp knife when cutting the cookie bars. 
• Refrigerate the frosted cookie bars for a few minutes before cutting the bars to get perfect cut bars. 
• Be sure not to overmix the dough, this will prevent the bars from being soft and tender. 
• Do not overbake these bars. You want the edges to be slightly browned, but not too much. 
• The butter, cream cheese, and egg should all be at room temperature so the ingredients will incorporate properly. 
• You can cut the frosted bars into 16 smaller squares or 9 large squares. You can also cut them into rectangular bars or triangles. 

LEFTOVERS & STORAGE

Frosted sugar cookie bars are always best when they are fresh but you can store any leftovers in the same baking pan or transfer to an airtight container. They will keep fresh for 3 days or you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.