You have to make these super easy frosted sugar cookie bars! They are so delicious, and the recipe is foolproof.
Soft and chewy sugar cookie bars are spread with the perfect amount of buttercream frosting and topped with sprinkles to make them a treat fit for any celebration! Prefer cookies over a birthday cake? These pink frosted cookies baked in a brownie pan will be perfect.
These cookie bars will remind you of your favorite soft sugar cookie. They are buttery, sweet, and have the most scrumptious, fluffy frosting.
I love this recipe because it is so easy to customize it to fit any fun occasion! Change up the color of the frosting or add some themed sprinkles and you’ll be ready to take these to a baseball game or a Christmas party, or anywhere really.
Speaking of Christmas, I have a recipe for Grinch Cookie Bars that you should definitely check out.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft and Chewy Bars: These cookie bars are like your favorite sugar cookie but in bar form. The texture is just perfect.
- Simple to Decorate: Just some sprinkles are needed to make these cookie bars fun and festive. Do you have some buttercream skills? Feel free to add extra decorations if you like!
- Fast and Easy: Bar cookies are so much easier to make than traditional cookies. They are also ready to eat much sooner.
Key Ingredients
Butter: Behind every good cookie recipe is a stick or so of butter. Here you’ll need 1 stick for the cookie dough and 1 1/2 sticks for the frosting. Let the butter soften at room temperature before starting.
Brown Sugar and White Sugar: We’re using both types in this recipe to get the perfect texture.
Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda: These three make up our dry ingredients.
Eggs: Let your eggs come to room temperature when baking with them. They incorporate better into the dough that way.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is our main flavor here, and is added to both the bar dough and the icing. I suggest that you buy the best vanilla extract that you can reasonably afford. It really can make an amazing difference, particularly in simple cookie recipes like this one.
Buttercream Frosting: We’ll make a simple American buttercream using butter, powdered sugar, milk, and a bit more vanilla extract. It’s so tasty, you might want to save some to eat from a spoon later.
Pink food coloring and Sprinkles: While these things aren’t exactly required for the recipe to work, they add the perfect festive touch. Gel or liquid food coloring will work in this recipe.
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
To Make the Cookie Bars
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Prepare a 9×13 inch pan by spraying it with cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper. Allow the paper to stick up on the sides of the pan to make the bars easy to lift out later.
- Make Cookie Bar Dough: In a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 4 minutes on medium speed. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until the dough is all incorporated.
- Bake: Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Use your hands to press down and ensure that it is evenly spread. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until the cookie bars are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To Make Frosting for Cookie Bars
- Cream Butter: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Finish the Frosting: Reduce the speed of the mixer to low, and slowly add in the powdered sugar until it’s all incorporated. Then add the vanilla and a few drops of food coloring. Mix on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. If needed add additional food coloring until you get the desired shade.
- Spread the Frosting: Once the cookie bars are completely cooled, spread the frosting over top, using a spatula to evenly coat the bars.
- Add Sprinkles! Top with your favorite sprinkles. Cut the cookie bars into squares to serve.
Recipe Tips
Sift The Flour: While sifting isn’t technically required, sifting the flour along with the baking soda and salt will ensure that you don’t have any clumps of bitter baking soda in your final dessert.
The Frosting Should Be Fluffy: Keep mixing to incorporate air into the frosting. It will be light, fluffy, and delicious.
Add Other Flavors: Different extracts can be added to the dough to change the flavor. Try coconut or almond extract to switch things up.
Watch Out for Powdered Sugar: Avoid a “sugar storm” by adding the powdered sugar in a little bit at a time, and having the mixer on slow speed.
FAQs
You can store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Avoid stacking them if you want to keep the decoration nice. Sugar Cookie Bars can also be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
You can use either type of pan as long as it is the right size (9×13 inches). The baking times will be the same. If you decide to use a different size or shaped pan, you may need to adjust the baking time.
Sure! You can roll this dough out like you would for cut-out cookies, just leave it thick. Cut with cookie cutters and bake on a sheet pan. Just know that detailed shapes won’t work very well, as the dough will expand a bit while cooking.
A big sharp knife is the key to getting pretty edges on bar cookies. Run the knife under hot water between each cut to keep it clean. Another trick is to remove the edges from the bars before cutting them. Save the edges to snack on, but only serve the inside pieces.
This recipe is going to become a family favorite immediately after everyone tries these Sugar Cookie Bars! Pin the recipe to refer back to later.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Cookie Bars
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (1.5 sticks)
- 2 ½ cups powdered/confectioner's sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pink food coloring or other desired color
- Sprinkles any color
Instructions
To make the Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Prepare a 9×13 inch pan by spraying it with cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper. Allow the paper to stick up on the sides of the pan to make the bars easy to lift out later.
- In a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the ½ cup butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 4 minutes on medium speed. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until the dough is all incorporated.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Use your hands to press down and ensure that it is evenly spread. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until the cookie bars are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To make the Frosting
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the softened ¾ cup butter for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to low, and slowly add in the powdered sugar until it's all incorporated. Then add the vanilla and a few drops of food coloring. Mix on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. If needed add additional food coloring until you get the desired shade.
To Ice the Cookie Bars
- Once the cookie bars are completely cooled, spread the frosting over top, using a spatula to evenly coat the bars.
- Top with your favorite sprinkles. Cut the cookie bars into squares to serve.
Notes
- To Store: Keep iced cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Avoid stacking. Alternatively, these can be frozen for up to 5 months.
- Sift The Flour: While sifting isn’t technically required, sifting the flour along with the baking soda and salt will ensure that you don’t have any clumps of bitter baking soda in your final dessert.
- The Frosting Should Be Fluffy: Keep mixing to incorporate air into the frosting. It will be light, fluffy, and delicious.
- Add Other Flavors: Different extracts can be added to the dough to change the flavor. Try coconut or almond extract to switch things up.
- Watch Out for Powdered Sugar: Avoid a “sugar storm” by adding the powdered sugar in a little bit at a time, and having the mixer on slow speed.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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