Grinch Sugar Cookie Bars
15 servings
Grinch Cookies in a simple to make bar form! Homemade and delicious, they are perfect for Christmas with green frosting and a big red heart.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookie Bars
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs large, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup green jimmy sprinkles
For the Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tablespoons whole milk
- green food coloring
- red food coloring
- yellow food coloring optional
Instructions
To Make the Grinch Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, add the butter and granulated sugar. Cream with a hand mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Mix in the eggs, adding one egg at a time and letting each get fully incorporated before adding the next. Then add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until fully mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sprinkles to the dough and stir them in.
- Press the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish, using your hands to ensure that the dough is in an even layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes. When done, the cookie bars will be lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan will come out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Frosting and Decorate the Cookie Bars
- While the bars cool, make the frosting. Put softened butter into a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, mix in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time until fully mixed. Add vanilla, salt, and whole milk, and mix until combined. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and whip the frosting for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Place 1/2 cup of frosting into a small bowl. Use red food coloring to tint the frosting until it's the desired shade for the red hearts.
- To the rest of the frosting, add green and/or yellow food coloring until the desired grinch green shade is reached.
- Add green frosting to the top of the cooled cookie bars and spread with a spatula to cover the entire pan evenly.
- Cut the bars into 15 squares and place on a tray or board for easier decorating.
- Add the red food coloring to a pastry bag fitted with a #20 round piping tip. Pipe a heart onto each cookie bar square.
Notes
- Whipping the frosting for the full three minutes will ensure that it is light and fluffy.
- I recommend using gel food coloring to get vibrant grinch-y colors for this recipe.
- To change the flavor of these Christmas cookie bars, add other extract such as mint, almond, or coconut.
- This sugar cookie bar recipe can be adapted for any time of year. Simply change the color of the frosting or sprinkles to suit your occasion.
- Large heart shaped sprinkles can be used if you'd rather not pipe the hearts on by hand.
- Store frosted cookie bars in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 59mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg