Sugar Cookie Bars

These sugar cookies bars are thick, chewy, and topped with a thick layer of creamy buttercream sugar cookie frosting and, of course, lots of rainbow sprinkles!

The tender, soft-baked frosted sugar cookie bars are perfect for birthday parties, holidays, or to make any ordinary day feel like a celebration.

For more tasty sugar cookie desserts, give our rolled sugar cookies, sugar cookie cake, sprinkle sugar cookies, and sugar cookie fudge a try.

This sugar cookies bars recipe is as easy to make as sugar cookies.

No, wait, I take that back.

They are even easier to make than classic sugar cookies!

There is no need to chill, roll out, and cut the dough.

Instead, simply mix your dough, press it into your baking pan, and pop it in the oven.

Then once they have baked and cooled you can frost all of them in one go, rather than having to frost each individual cookie as you would with classic cookies. So much quicker!

The best part is– even though these bars are quick and easy, they still pack that great taste of classic soft frosted sugar cookies. So yummy. I dare you to eat just one!

Ingredients

This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

• Butter– take your butter out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before you start to let it soften 
• Shortening– you can substitute with an equal amount of butter if you prefer
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs– let them come to room temperature with your buter
• Almond extract– this will give you that classic sugar cookie flavor. If you aren’t a fan of almond flavor you can use vanilla instead.
• All-purpose flour– I used King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Salt – If using salted butter cut the salt added to the cookie dough to ¼ teaspoon.
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy cream– you can substitute with half-and-half or any type of milk–the higher the fat the better though.
• Clear vanilla extract– I used clear extract in this recipe to keep the frosting as white as possible. Clear extract is imitation vanilla so I increased the amount to get a better vanilla flavor. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract if you prefer, just note your frosting may have a slight tint to it. 
• Festive sprinkles– coordinate your sprinkles with any holiday or occasion or use whatever sprinkles tickle your fancy 

Helpful Baking Supplies

• 8 x 8 inch square cake pan– a metal pan provides more even baking for this particular recipe
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Hand-held or stand mixer
• Parchment paper

How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the edge, and set aside. 

Step 2: Use a mixer to cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until well-combined and fluffy.  Mix in the eggs 1 at a time, adding in the almond extract along with the second egg. 

Step 3: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until combined. 

Step 4: Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top and edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Take care not to over-bake the bars or they will dry out. Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting. 

Step 5: For the buttercream sugar cookie frosting, use a hand-held or stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment to whip together the butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. You can add more heavy cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if you want thinner frosting. 

Step 6: Spread the frosting evenly over the bars and top with sprinkles. Slice and serve. 

Storage

Room Temperature: After cooling completely you can cover and store your sugar cookie bars at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Refrigerator: For longer storage keep your bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

Tips for the Best Sugar Cookie Bars

• Line the pan with parchment paper to make the bars easy to lift out.
• Only mix the dough until the flour is just combined. Do not over mix.
• Do not over bake. The bars should be lightly colored. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick near the middle. If there is a lot of wet batter it isn’t done yet. If it is slightly moist with a few crumbs on it, they are done. If it isn’t moist at all they are probably overbaked.
• Allow the bars to cool fully before frosting.

Variations

• Top with red and green sprinkles to make Christmas sugar cookie bars.
• Use gel food coloring to tint the frosting (great in combination with festive sprinkles for special occasions or themed parties).
• Try topping the bars with a cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream.

FAQ

More Delicious Dessert Bars

• Carmelitas
• Homemade Twix Bars
• Brookie Bars
• Funfetti Cookie Bars
• Lemon Bars
• Grandma’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
• Unicorn Cheesecake Bars

Recipe

Recipe

4.33 from 61 votes

Sugar Cookie Bars

Author: Jaclyn

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

These sugar cookies bars are thick, chewy, and topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting and, of course, sprinkles!

Servings: 16 bars

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Ingredients

 

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For the bars:

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup shortening
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract*
• ▢ Festive sprinkles

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the edge, and set aside. 
• In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until well-combined and fluffy.  Mix in the eggs 1 at a time, adding in the almond extract along with the second egg. 
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until combined. 
• Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top and edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Do not overbake! Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting. 
• For the frosting, use a hand-held or stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment to whip together the butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. You can add more heavy cream, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if you want thinner frosting. 
• Spread the frosting evenly over the bars and top with sprinkles. Slice and serve. 

Notes

Almond extract: This will give you that classic sugar cookie flavor, but feel free to replace with vanilla if you prefer.

Vanilla extract: I used clear extract in this recipe to keep the frosting white. Clear extract is imitation vanilla so I increased the amount to get a better vanilla flavor. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract if you prefer, just note your frosting may have a slight bit of a tint to it. 

Do not overbake! The bars should be lightly colored. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick near the middle. If there is a lot of wet batter it isn’t done yet. If it is slightly moist with a few crumbs on it, they are done. If it isn’t moist at all they are probably overbaked.

Storage: Store in an airtight container or well-covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. 

To Freeze: Wrap unfrosted bars (cut or uncut) in a layer of plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and frost. 

To Make Ahead: You can prepare the bars and the frosting separately up to one day ahead of time. Store the bars covered at room temperature and the frosting covered in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, allow the frosting to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes then frost, slice, and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 360kcal

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