Frosted with a light and fluffy sweet buttercream frosting, these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are your favorite cookie in bar form. Easy, beautiful, and absolutely irresistible.
Classic sugar cookies in a handheld bar? Sign me up, please! So much easier than making cookie after cookie, these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars will be your new favorite treat.
Don’t get me wrong, I love me some regular sugar cookies, but there is something so satisfying when I bite into a thick and chewy cookie bar that you just can’t get from traditional sugar cookies.
Bars in any shape or form are the perfect vehicle for frosting, so any chance I get to indulge in a frosted cookie bar, I’m all for it.
Plus, can we mention the elephant in the room here…. have you ever seen a more gorgeous cookie bar?!
I might be a little biased, but I think this treat would stand out on any dessert spread.
I’ve brought these to multiple bake sales and family get-togethers, and they are always one of the first desserts to disappear.
So, if you are looking for a new recipe to switch up your cookie routine, I highly suggest trying these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars.
Some of our other favorite cookie bars on our site include: Banana Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- It makes a lot to feed a crowd, but you can also halve the recipe if needed.
- Great for a make-ahead dessert option since it can sit at room temperature for a few days.
- Simple pantry ingredients mean you probably have everything on hand already to make this perfect dessert.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Food coloring of your choice, optional
- Sprinkles, optional
HOW TO MAKE FROSTED SUGAR COOKIE BARS:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with baking spray, set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer and a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. It ends up being a pale yellow color, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs in one at a time until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix in until just combined, with no dry patches, but do not overmix.
- Press the sugar cookie dough into the bottom of the baking dish, I like to use my hands for this.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown along the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cookie cools, make the frosting recipe by placing the butter in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and whip the butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add in the salt, vanilla, and milk, stir in until combined. Scrape the sides as needed.
- Whip on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy; add in food coloring if using and fully mix it in until you reach your desired frosting color, use a spatula to do one last stir in to make sure there are no streaks of white left.
- Once the cookie is completely cooled, frost it and add sprinkles if using. Cut into 15 bars and serve.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
DO I HAVE TO USE FOOD COLORING?
You most definitely do not need to use food coloring. The frosting itself will be a white color, which is still pleasing to the eye.
I like to add food coloring for a fun pop of color, and it’s the perfect way to dress up the easy sugar cookie bars for specific themes, holidays, or events.
If you do want to use food coloring, I suggest using gel-based food coloring. It is very vibrant, and a very small amount goes a long way.
This is my favorite kind:
HOW CAN I MAKE THESE CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE BARS?
Very simple! Take the food coloring mentioned above and dye the frosting whatever color you want for the holiday season; green or red is the most popular.
Then, add Christmas-themed sprinkles on top.
You can even add sprinkles right into the sugar cookie base. I suggest using a jimmie-style sprinkle for this so the colors won’t bleed.
When I add sprinkles to cookie bars, I add about 1/4 cup.
This is a great sugar cookie bar recipe for any occasion. Switch up the frosting colors and sprinkles for your theme, be it Valentine’s Day, a Baby Shower, for the new year, etc.
CAN I USE ANOTHER FROSTING?
Absolutely, I suggest using a white frosting so you can easily dye it. My favorites are:
- Cream cheese frosting – the addition of cream cheese works so well with the chewy sugar cookies
- White chocolate frosting
- Homemade buttercream frosting with a little almond extract added – YUM!
CAN I ADD ANYTHING?
Yes, switch it up! You can add extracts to the bars or frosting, my favorites are almond, maple, or strawberry.
You can even add mixins to the cookie bar base, I mentioned sprinkles above but other yummy options are:
- Chocolate chips – any variety works
- Chopped nuts
- Chopped-up cookies – Oreos, especially golden Oreos would be SO good!
- Other chips like peanut butter, cinnamon, or butterscotch
HOW TO STORE:
Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Best served and eaten at room temp.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Place leftover cookie bars between wax paper layers in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed. Bake in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish to make half a recipe, baking times may vary.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- Great for a make-ahead dessert or for bake sales.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- I prefer to use gel food coloring for a more intense color.
I know you are ready to wow with this dessert! There is something so special about these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars – everyone loves them.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these FROSTED SUGAR COOKIE BARS, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 & ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Food coloring of your choice optional
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or foil and spray with baking spray, set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer and a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. It ends up being a pale yellow color, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs in one at a time until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix in until just combined, with no dry patches, but do not overmix.
- Press the sugar cookie dough into the bottom of the baking dish, I like to use my hands for this.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown along the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cookie cools, make the frosting recipe by placing the butter in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and whip the butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
- Add in the salt, vanilla, and milk, stir in until combined. Scrape the sides as needed.
- Whip on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy; add in food coloring if using and fully mix it in until you reach your desired frosting color, use a spatula to do one last stir in to make sure there are no streaks of white left.
- Once the cookie is completely cooled, frost it and add sprinkles if using. Cut into 15 bars and serve.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed. Bake in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish to make half a recipe, baking times may vary.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- Great for a make-ahead dessert or for bake sales.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- I prefer to use gel food coloring for a more intense color.
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