Sugar Cookie Bars
Deliciously sweet, thick, and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars are sure to become your new go-to treat for the holidays and every cookie occasion!
When you thought cookie making couldn’t get any faster or more delicious, these Sugar Cookie Bars are quick to make with pantry ingredients. Plus, they’re festively delicious with holiday sprinkles! Grab your cookie-making supplies and sprinkles to make these must-have cookies for every holiday party!
Party Bars
Sugar Cookie Bars are so incredibly perfect anytime you want to make cookies. I set out all of my usual cookie ingredients, like flour, sugar, and eggs, and all I have to do is whip up the dough, press it into a pan, and bake it! There’s no need to chill the dough or portion it out on baking sheets. These sugar cookie bars are thick and chewy, with a scrumptious layer of buttercream frosting on top, and since I like to get a little crazy with the sprinkles (as we all do), these bars look extra festive and bring tons of holiday and happy occasion cheer!
When you feel like a simple and quick dessert, Brown Sugar Cookie Bars with a scoop of ice cream or light Lemon Poppy Seed Sugar Cookie Bars are fantastically delicious!
Other Recipes to Serve with Sugar Cookie Bars
- Every holiday party needs a signature drink, one that is both a joy to drink and looks festive too, like a jolly Peppermint Bark Martini!
- White Chocolate Fudge is so easy to make and is a great way to dress up the treat table with more eye-catching sweets!
Ingredients
To make the bars
Pantry Items: To make these cookie bars, you will need all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, icing sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, and sea salt.
Refrigerated Items: Set out unsalted butter to soften and a few eggs to warm to room temperature.
Sprinkles: Be sure to have your favorite Christmas-themed sprinkles on hand to mix into the dough, plus a little more to sprinkle on top!
To make the icing
Pantry Items: You will need more icing sugar, vanilla extract, and a little salt.
Refrigerated Items: Heavy cream and softened unsalted butter are also needed to make the icing.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Leave enough parchment paper hanging over to easily grab and lift the bars out of the pan. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer for about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix.
STEP TWO: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix for 1 minute until combined.
STEP THREE: Using a spatula, fold in the sprinkles. Press the dough into the prepared pan evenly.
STEP FOUR: Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are slightly browned. Allow the sugar cookie to cool completely before frosting.
STEP FIVE: Combine the icing sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla extract in a stand mixer and mix well. Add the heavy cream and mix on high for two minutes.
STEP SIX: Frost the sugar cookie evenly, as thick as you like, and sprinkle the remaining sprinkles over the top. Lift the cookie out of the pan to cut the cookie into bars more easily, and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Cook the cookie bars until the edges are just starting to turn golden, and don’t wait for the entire cookie to bake to a golden color. You don’t want to overbake the cookies to keep that great chewiness. They will still be delicious, just more crunchy than chewy if they are overbaked!
- To make frosting the cookie bars even easier, you can remove them from the pan first, which will also help you get a nice thick layer to the edge.
- If your frosting seems too thin, add more powdered sugar and mix until it reaches a thickness you like. If the frosting is too thick, add about one teaspoon of heavy cream until it thins to a consistency you like. And for the perfect level of sweetness, don’t skip the salt!
What kind of sprinkles can I use in these cookie bars?
There are no wrong answers when it comes to sprinkles! Since sprinkles are folded into the dough, you may want to use smaller sprinkles (like jimmies or nonpareils) for the bars inside and then go big with the decorating sprinkles on the frosting.
Get festive and use red, white, and green sprinkles for Christmas, pastel-colored sprinkles for Easter, or red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. Choose metallic sprinkles for New Year’s Eve or rainbow-colored for birthdays or parties. The sky’s the limit! Also, don’t be shy about using food coloring! Add a few drops to the dough or frosting to achieve a color you like to celebrate the season.
How do I store Sugar Cookie Bars?
Sugar cookie bars can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. They should be stored in the fridge due to the buttercream frosting- you don’t want that to melt all over your bars on the counter!
These bars can be frozen as well for up to 3 months. It’s easier to freeze the bars without the frosting on them, so if you’re planning to freeze them, wait to frost them until you are ready to enjoy them. If you freeze them already frosted, place a layer of parchment paper or wax paper between them to prevent sticking.
More Sweets to Treat Everyone!
- Num Num Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
- No Bake Cookie Dough Bars
- Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies
- Slice and Bake Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Bars
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup Christmas nonpareils sprinkles
Frosting
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-inch x 13-inch metal pan with parchment paper, use enough paper so that it's hanging over the sides. (This will make it easier to remove the cookie bars from the pan later.) Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter, sugar, and powdered sugar for 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix for about 1 minute on medium.
- With a rubber spatula, fold in the sprinkles. (I find adding 2 TBSP at a time can allow for an easier distribution. Just don't mix too much of the colors will start to bleed into the cookie dough.)
- Trasnfer the cookie dough to the prepared pan and press into an even layer.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are just starting to lightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours.
- Once the cookies are cooled, beat the butter, sugar, and salt together until combined. Add in 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and mix medium-high for about 2 minutes. (You can add another tablespoon of heavy cream to thin out the frosting if needed.)
- Spread the frosting over the cookie bars, edge to edge, and then top with more sprinkles. Cut into 24 bars and enjoy!
