Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

These sugar cookie bars are soft, chewy, and fluffy. They're easy to make and perfect for sharing a sweet treat with a crowd.

Ingredients

To make sugar cookie bars, you'll need the following ingredients. Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.

Sugar Cookie Dough Ingredients

Cream cheese: It creates a soft, tender texture. Softened cream cheese adds moisture and a slight tang. It's essential because it prevents the bars from becoming dry, cakey, and crumbly.

Butter: Room temperature butter gives the bars a rich, soft texture. I use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt that goes in. If you use salted butter, don't add extra salt to the dough.

Granulated sugar: It offers the classic sweetness of a sugar cookie. I use granulated cane sugar for this recipe.

Egg: A room-temperature egg works as a binder. It's essential for holding the ingredients together, adding moisture, and creating a chewy, not crumbly bar.

Flour: I use all-purpose flour for these bars. It provides structure and controls the texture. If you add too much flour, it'll be too dense and have a floury taste. If there's not enough flour, the bars will be too dry and cakey. I recommend a kitchen scale for measuring flour. If you don't have one, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and use a knife to level it.

Vanilla extract: A warm, sweet, and cozy vanilla flavor is essential. It also adds depth to the flavor, so it's not just sweet from the sugar.

Almond extract: After testing these bars with and without almond extract, I enjoyed them most with it. It’s not overwhelming, but it adds depth to the flavor, rather than just being sweet.

Salt: It boosts the flavors of the other ingredients. Salt also keeps the taste well-rounded and helps to balance the sweetness.

Frosting Ingredients

Butter: I recommend unsalted, room-temperature butter. It's the base of the vanilla buttercream frosting. Softened butter will prevent clumps, and it'll mix everything smoothly.

Cream cheese: It's not in traditional buttercream frosting. A hint of cream cheese adds creaminess and a slight tang. Softened cream cheese is essential for avoiding lumps. Together, the frosting will be light, creamy, smooth, and rich. Sweet and slightly tangy, it's perfect.

Powdered sugar: It's also called confectioners' sugar. It's a key frosting ingredient for sweetness, while maintaining a silky texture. It's also helpful to sift it out to prevent lumps.

Vanilla extract: Rather than tasting like plain frosting, vanilla extract gives it warmth and depth.

Heavy cream: I prefer heavy cream over milk for frosting because it's creamier and richer.

Salt: A little salt balances the sweetness of the sugar and boosts the vanilla flavor.

How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars

The following are the steps and process images to make sugar cookie bars. Refer to the recipe card for the complete set of instructions.

1. Mix the flour and salt. In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Mixing the dry ingredients first will prevent salty spots in the cookie dough.

2. Make the cookie dough. Use a stand mixer and paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugar at medium speed. It takes about 3 minutes for it to become smooth. Then, beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. It'll need about 1 minute to be well combined. Now, add the flour and salt mixture and beat at a low speed until it's just combined. It'll take about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed.

3. Transfer to a baking dish and bake. I used an 8x8 baking pan. The dough will be sticky, so be patient and gentle with it. An offset spatula works best for spreading the dough into the prepared baking pan. It also helps you press it evenly with ease. Then, bake the bars at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Once the center looks just set and the edges are lightly golden, they're done.

4. Let it cool completely. After removing the baking pan from the oven, set it on a wire rack. Let the bars cool completely before frosting them. If you frost them too soon, the frosting will melt and slide. Letting the bars cool will also make it easier to cut them neatly.

5. Make the frosting. While you're waiting for the bars to cool, make the vanilla frosting. It's a buttercream frosting with a hint of cream cheese. The combination isn't traditional, but it's delicious. Start by beating the cream cheese with a paddle attachment in a stand mixer at medium speed until it's smooth and creamy. Then, add the butter and beat for 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream at a low speed. Then, turn it up to high for 3 minutes after it's all combined to add air.

6. Frost the bars and serve. When the bars are cool, it's time to frost. Lift the parchment paper sling to remove the bars from the pan. Place them on a flat surface and spread the frosting with an offset spatula. Add the sprinkles soon after the frosting to ensure they stick. Then, slice the bars into 16 squares and enjoy.

Storage and Freezing

Whether you're storing leftovers or making these bars ahead of time, they keep well.

If you're making them for an event in the next day or two, store the bars and frosting separately. Keep the bars covered at room temperature after baking. Store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve, frost the bars and cut.

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They'll last up to 3 days, but will most likely be gone by then. I also suggest separating the bars with a layer of parchment paper to prevent sticking.

You can also freeze the uncut bar, frosted or unfrosted, for up to 3 months. The bar must be completely cool. Then, wrap the bar in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil.

If you're freezing sliced bars, wrap each one as tightly as you can. Then, store them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for 2 hours before frosting and serving.

Variations

This sugar cookie bar recipe is simple and easy to make. Changing up the flavor is also straightforward. The following are different variations to try.

Make it festive with peppermint. Mix crushed peppermint candy into the dough and on top of the frosting. This version is so much fun for a festive party.

Celebrate with funfetti. Add rainbow sprinkles or jimmies into the dough. You can also add more on top after the frosting. It's a fun variation perfect for any celebration.

Make it tangy with lemon. Add lemon juice and zest to brighten the flavors. For this recipe, use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest in the dough. If needed, add more to taste. A lemon sugar cookie bar is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this in the summer.

Add nuts. Fold in a cup of chopped nuts into the dough for more crunch and flavor. Walnuts, almonds, macadamias, pecans, and hazelnuts are excellent choices. You can also top off the frosting with more chopped nuts.

Mix in candy. Chop your favorite candy bar, mix in chocolate chips, or add toffee bits for a sweeter sugar cookie bar. This version is perfect for Halloween. It also works well for other holidays where you can use different-colored candies, like M&Ms, to match the theme.

Make it cakey. Add baking powder to make the bars cake-like. The leavener will fluff it up, yielding a drier and crumblier bar.

Tips for the Best Sugar Cookie Bars

The perfect sugar cookie bars are soft, buttery, chewy, and full of flavor. They're thick without being too dense. The following tips will ensure you bake delicious bars that everyone will love:

• Use room-temperature butter, egg, and cream cheese. This step is key to the recipe's success. It ensures the dough is smooth and tender.
• Measure the flour correctly. Overpacked flour leads to dry, crumbly sugar cookie bars. I recommend using a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
• Cool completely. It feels like forever, but it's necessary. If you don't wait, the frosting will melt and slide around. The bars also won't be firm enough for clean slicing.
• Hot chef's knife for neat slices. Run the chef's knife under hot water to ensure a clean cut. Then, wipe the knife and run it under hot water again before the next slice.
• Sift powdered sugar. Sifting breaks clumps apart, leading to a smooth, creamy frosting.
• Use an offset spatula to spread frosting. The thin blade and angle make spreading frosting a breeze. Your knuckles won't get in the way, and you'll have a smooth, even-layered frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make sugar cookie bars without frosting?

Sugar cookie bars are delicious even without frosting. Follow the same steps for making the dough. You can also add sprinkles in the batter or on top before baking the bars.

Can you make a sugar cookie bar using a mix?

If you don't want to start from scratch, a sugar cookie mix can yield delicious bars. Make the dough by combining the mix with ½ cup of softened butter and an egg. Then, press the dough into a lined 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan and bake at 350°F for 17-20 minutes. Keep an eye on the bars. Once the edges are golden brown, they're ready. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.

How do you cleanly cut sugar cookie bars to look neat?

To achieve perfectly cut sugar cookie bars, allow them to cool. Then, move the bars from the pan to a cutting board, keeping them on the parchment paper. Run a chef's knife under hot water and slice the bars. Avoid dragging the knife. Cut down and pull it up to keep it neat. Between each slice, wipe the knife and run it under hot water again.

Can I add cornstarch to these sugar cookie bars?

This recipe doesn't need cornstarch because it has cream cheese in the dough. Cream cheese will keep your dough soft and chewy. If you want chewier bars, I recommend an extra egg yolk or more cream cheese.

More Irresistible Bars to Try

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars: Everything you love about chocolate chip cookies, but in bar form.
• Banana Chocolate Chip Bars: Gooey bars with the perfect combination of banana and chocolate.
• Raspberry Crumble Bars: Sweet and tangy with a delicious oatmeal crumble topping.
• Cherry Breakfast Bars: Fresh, sweet cherries and a crispy streusel topping.

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