Easter Cookie Bars (Coconut Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars)

Who doesn’t like a cute treat for the holidays? Our Easter Cookie Bars are a fun, interactive dessert for kids of all ages.

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Whether you are looking for a holiday-specific treat or something overall spring themed, these Easter Cookie Bars are a perfect choice. What I absolutely love about this recipe is the kiddos can get involved.

This recipe has multiple aspects where the littles can help in the kitchen. Lily had a blast helping to decorate these bars, so I know your children will enjoy it too.

From the fun, colorful cookie bars to the dyed, sweetened coconut flakes to look like grass, there is something for the whole family to enjoy.

Of course, there are always substitutions you can take away or add to make it your own; scroll down to see all my tips!

We have been making these bars for our easter celebration for years, and they’ve become somewhat of a tradition around here. I’m so excited I can finally share one of our family’s favorite recipes with you.

Little sweet treats like this just help to get everyone excited for the holiday, and I love seeing everyone’s face light up when I serve these. But do you want to know a little secret, this is a super easy recipe too, score!

You must be excited to try something different this season instead of serving the same old store-bought easter treats. Our Easter Cookie Bars will become a new family tradition!

Our other favorite dessert bars on our site include: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Chocolate Pecan Toffee Bars, and Lemon Poppyseed Bars.

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Jump to:

• WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
• INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE):
• HOW TO MAKE EASTER COOKIE BARS:
• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
• CAN I ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS?
• CAN I DECORATE THESE WITH ANYTHING ELSE?
• DO I HAVE TO USE COCONUT?
• WHERE DO I FIND EASTER PEEPS?
• CAN KIDS HELP WITH THIS RECIPE?
• HOW TO STORE:
• DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
• Easter Cookie Bars

• Super cute making this a stand-out dessert.
• Fun steps to get little ones involved or as an interactive party favor.
• Perfect for a make-ahead dessert option.

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Confetti sprinkles
• Powdered sugar
• Cream of coconut
• Coconut extract
• Sweetened coconut flakes
• Green food coloring
• Easter peeps
• Jelly beans

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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside until ready to bake the easter cookie bars.
2. For the flour mixture, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl ), cream together the room temperature butter and sugar for 3 minutes until it appears light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs to the bowl one at a time, making sure it is mixed in well until fully incorporated. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts (if using), and mix until combined. 
5. Add the dry ingredients mixture a little at a time to the butter mixture and mix in until just combined, with no dry patches, try not to overmix. Scrape down the sides as needed.
6. Add the colorful confetti sprinkles and stir until just incorporated, do not overmix.
7. Press the cookie batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Smooth it out so it is an even layer. 
8. Bake the cookie bars in the preheated oven for 20-24 minutes until lightly golden brown along the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack. It needs to be completely cool before adding the frosting or it will melt off.

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9. While the cookie bar cools, make the coconut frosting. Place the unsalted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer0 and whip the butter until completely smooth. 
10. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until combined. If you add it all in at once, it may spill out of the bowl. The mixture will be thick.
11. Add in the cream of coconut, vanilla, coconut extract, and salt. Stir in until combined. Scrape the sides as needed.
12. Whip the frosting on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy.

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13. Take the cookie bars out of the baking dish, you can use the parchment paper to help. Spread the coconut frosting in an even layer on top of the bars.
14. Add the coconut flakes and a couple of drops of green food coloring in a gallon-sized zip-topped bag. Close the bag and toss it around until the coconut is dyed green, keep adding more food coloring a little at a time if needed until you reach the desired shade.
15. It is easier to serve if you cut the Easter bars first with a sharp knife and then sprinkle the dyed coconut on top. 
16. Add an Easter peep to each slice and jelly beans, and serve immediately.

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CAN I ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS?

Of course! What is great about this recipe is you can add mix-ins to the sugar cookie batter, that includes chocolate chips.

Mix-ins for the cookie dough I suggest are:

• White chocolate chips
• Milk chocolate chips
• Semisweet chocolate chips
• Dark chocolate chips
• Butterscotch chips
• Cadbury mini eggs
• Pastel m&m candies

Adding the pretty pastel m&m candies will make these into easter m&m cookie bars; how fun!

You can determine if you want to leave out the sprinkles or keep them in the batter. Either way, add your mix-ins in step 6, where you would add the sprinkles.

CAN I DECORATE THESE WITH ANYTHING ELSE?

Yes, some additions would be better left to decorate the top of the cookie bars instead of inside the cookie batter itself.

Some more fun decorations ideas to add to the tops include:

• Chocolate eggs
• Cadbury eggs
• Chocolate mini eggs
• Pastel m&m candies would work here too
• Or other easter candy you love

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DO I HAVE TO USE COCONUT?

To get the grass look which is one of the main signature aspects of the recipe, you really do need to leave the coconut.

But if you can think of something else that is edible and resembles grass, by all means, switch it out!

The only reason to do so would be if you don’t like coconut, can’t find it, or are allergic. In any case, if you don’t like the flavor of coconut, you can leave out the cream of coconut and coconut extract in the frosting.

You can leave out the coconut extract all together, but you will need to use milk or heavy cream in place of the coconut cream. Start with two tablespoons and add more if needed; the frosting must be light, fluffy, and spreadable.

WHERE DO I FIND EASTER PEEPS?

I have found them at my local grocer by the seasonal treats and food aisle. They are also sometimes on end caps at the store.

You can also get them on Amazon here.

CAN KIDS HELP WITH THIS RECIPE?

Yes! That is what’s so much fun about this easter time recipe.

Here are the different aspects of involving kids:

1. Help measure ingredients.
2. Add different ingredients to the mixing bowls.
3. Spread the frosting.
4. Coloring the sweetened coconut with food coloring.
5. Placing the decorations on top.

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Do not store with the jelly beans or peeps on top as they might melt.

Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Best enjoyed at room temperature.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

Wrap leftover slices in plastic wrap and freezer-safe foil and place them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. Place the dish in the fridge overnight or on the countertop until room temperature to thaw.

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Looking for a fun Easter or spring dessert that can also be interactive? Give these Easter Cookie Bars a try!

If you’ve tried these EASTER 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!