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Sugar Cookie Bars – Soft and chewy sugar cookies in bar form! Topped with a sweet buttercream for a delicious and easy treat!
When it comes to dessert Frosted Sugar Cookies are one of the most requested desserts of all time in my house. They are a staple in December for Christmas cookies, but year round they are always welcome with my family.
But sometimes the idea of rolling out the dough, cutting into the shapes, and baking tray after tray is just a bit much. Which is where these sugar cookie bars make life so much easier!
How To Make Sugar Cookie Bars
- Cream butter and sugar together until the dough is light and fluffy. This will take about 2 minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer.
- Next add in the eggs, one at a time. You want to make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add in the vanilla with the final egg.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture, until just combined.
- Spread the dough into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
- While the bars cool you can prepare the frosting by beating everything together until you get a nice spreadable consistency.
Baking Tips
- You want to be careful not to over mix the dough. To get super soft and chewy sugar cookie bars, mix until all of the flour is just mixed into the dough.
- Under Bake! Just like when you are baking regular cookies, the key to the best cookies is to slightly under bake them. They will continue to cook as they sit in the hot pan after you take them out of the oven. You can test them with a toothpick and remove as soon as it is mostly clean.
- Sprinkles! You can really mix these up and make them for any holiday with seasonal sprinkles and coloring your frosting. And sprinkles make everything better, so if you wanted funfetti, you could even mix some into the dough!
- Change up the flavor. You really can customize these however you want. You can use different extracts to flavor them almond, lemon or even Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars.
- You can easily double the recipe or even change the size of the pan. To get nice thick bars bake in a 13×9 inch baking dish as the recipe directs. If you want thinner bars you can bake in half sheet pan that is 13×18 inches (the baking time would shorten). Or you can double the recipe and put into a 13×18 inch baking dish and get these thick and chewy bars.
How To Make Ahead
There are a couple different ways you can make these ahead. If you want to completely bake everything, just store the baked bars and frosting separately until you are ready to serve. You can do this a day or two ahead of time, and then just frost when you are ready to serve.
You can also make the cookie dough, press it into the pan, and place in the fridge until you are ready to bake. The dough will last in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just remember you want the bars to cool completely before frosting.
Storing Sugar Cookie Bars
These bars can be stored and room temperature, you just need to cover them first. They will last on the counter for 3-4 days.
If you want to keep them longer, you can store them in the fridge. We just like to take them out prior to serving so they aren’t chilled. They will last 5-6 days in the fridge.
You can also freeze these bars. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw on the counter before serving.
More Great Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies
- Double Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Cherry Nougat Cookies
- Avalanche Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Blossom Cookies
Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar, approximately
- 1/3 cup milk, approximately
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 in pan with foil. Spray with non-stick spray.
- In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Stir in vanilla.
- In another bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture, until just combined.
- Spread the dough into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, a tester should come out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting cream the butter until fluffy. Add vanilla, milk, and 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Continue adding powdered sugar to get to the right consistency. You might have to adjust the milk or powdered sugar to make it spreadable. Spread over the cooled bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Mmm, I love a classic sugar cookie bar! And the frosting on these looks perfectly sweet…extra yum. Definitely a great field day reward. 🙂
Don’t you love these? I made them a few months ago and they were a total hit. Love your blue frosting. Hope you have a great week.
These look delicious, I bet the kids love them!
I’ve been seeing these all over and still haven’t gotten to making them – thanks for the reminder, yours look deee-licious!
I’ve never heard of these! What a great idea! They look delicious!
These look real yummy!
Our summer vacation here doesn’t start until June 27th! Yipes! But like you, I need to keep these li’l ones busy or else they will become couch potatoes! Yum, these bars look lovely! How can I resist sugar-cookie bars?
Okay someone just needs to make these for me because clearly I’m the last person to ever make them (or not as it is). they look deeelicious
Is that Tiffany blue on top?!?!? 😀 These bars are a must make!
Tiffany – it was colored from the Duncan Hines Cotton Candy flavor packet. It is the perfect Tiffany blue though 🙂
Sometimes you just need real sugar!! This looks super delish and I ljust love the photos!