Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Thick, soft and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars have the same great taste you love from a classic sugar cookie, without having to chill, roll or cut the dough! We love them topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

Coming from someone who LOVES a great sugar cookie, these bars are the best idea ever.

First of all, they are incredible easy to make. Normal sugar cookies require chilling the dough, rolling it out and cutting it into shapes with a cookie cutter. Then you bake them and frost and decorate each individual cookie.

Traditional super soft sugar cookies are fantastic, for sure. My kids love making them around Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

But sometimes you just want an amazing sugar cookie, without all that prep. Enter: Sugar cookie BARS!  No chilling, roll the dough or frosting individual cookies.

This recipe starts with a great sugar cookie dough. You may notice this recipe uses all butter, which works great for baking in a pan, but in my cookies I use half butter and half shortening, which I’ve found works really well in rolled out sugar cookies to help them keep the shape and texture I want.

The sugar cookie dough also has a splash of almond extract in it, which adds a really subtle and delicious element of flavor.

Press the cookie dough into your pan, and bake until the center is set. They will still be pale colored. Let them cool completely in the pan, and they will continue to firm up.

Next, smooth the cream cheese frosting on top. You can leave it white, or color it with food coloring. Top with sprinkles, if you want. Cut into bars.

Store them in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve.

I’ve found these sugar cookie bars to be particularly perfect for parties and potlucks. You can transport them in the pan you baked them in, and serve them when you get to the party.

They are soft, thick and chewy, just like a great sugar cookie should be, and they have the same delicious cream cheese frosting that I use on my favorite sugar cookies.

To make sugar cookie bars in a 9×13” pan.

If you want to make a smaller batch, you can make these sugar cookie bars in a 9×13” pan.  Cut this recipe in half, and bake them for around the same amount of time, until the center is set. Again, be careful not to over-bake them 🙂

Looking for more “bar” recipes? Try these:

• S’more Cookie Bars
• Toffee Chocolate Chip Bars
• The BEST Mint Brownies
• Sugar Cookie Bars
• Best Ever Peanut Butter Bars

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Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Thick, soft and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars have the same great taste you love from a classic sugar cookie, without having to chill, roll or cut the dough! We love them topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.

4.5 from 8 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 30

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Lauren Allen

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter *room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt

For the frosting

• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperatire
• ▢ 4 - 5 cups powdered sugar (more or less depending on how thick you want your frosting)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x18'' half sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix well until light and creamy. Add eggs, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
• In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the batter and mix until combined. 
• Spread and press the mixture into the prepared pan. 
• Bake at 375 degrees F for about 12-16 minutes or until set, and the edges are just starting to be golden. Don't be tempted to overcook them--they will harden as they cool. 
• Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Once cooled completely, frost and cut into squares.

For the cream cheese frosting:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. 
• Add the vanilla and mix. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until, mixing well until smooth. You may not need all of the powdered sugar--just add enough to make a good frosting consistency, and taste it to see if you want to add more.
• Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and in the refrigerator up to 5.

Notes

You can use salted or unsalted butter. If using salted butter, only use 1/2 teaspoon of salt, instead of 1 teaspoon.

 

To make ahead:

The bars and frosting can be made one day in advance. Store the bars covered at room temperature and store the frosting covered in the fridge.  You could also freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, frost, cut, and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 41mg | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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I originally shared this recipe in April 2015. Updated March 2018. I doubled the recipe to make a larger batch that you can bake in a sheet pan, and I added cream cheese frosting, instead of just buttercream.