Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
These frosted sugar cookie bars are soft and chewy and require just 15 minutes of prep time! The sugar cookie dough base is pressed into a pan and baked until just set to ensure the perfect texture. Once cool, the bars are slathered with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and decorated with festive sprinkles. Enjoy these sugar cookie bars as part of a holiday spread or any time you’re craving a delicious and easy sweet treat.
Hey there, and welcome back, friends.
You are in for a sweet holiday treat!
If you love classic sugar cookies but want something quick, easy, and perfect for sharing, these sugar cookie bars with frosting are going to be your new go-to treat. Plus, they require no cookie cutters!
You can’t beat a snack that comes together with just 15 minutes of prep time, making them ideal for busy days. Our time over the holidays is precious, so let’s save some time where we can.
Enjoying my favorite cookie recipes in bar form is something I have shared on the blog many times over the years. Give these festive Frosted Gingerbread Bars and Browned Butter Eggnog Cookie Bars a try.
I have a few other cookie bars that are equally delicious but not holiday-themed like these S’mores Cookie Bars, Chocolate Bar Cookie Bars, Salted Caramel Twix Cookie Bars, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that are great all year-round.
The base of these bars is a simple sugar cookie dough that gets pressed directly into a baking pan, which means no rolling, no shaping, and absolutely no cookie cutters required! There’s so much to love about this recipe!!!
The cookie dough is buttery, soft, and lightly sweet. The bars are tender and chewy instead of dry or cakey.
The recipe is practical to make since there’s no need to chill the dough before baking. You can mix the dough, press it into the pan, and pop it straight into the oven. It’s perfect if you want to let your little ones help you.
Let’s talk about the frosting!!! Sugar cookie bars need a great frosting. For this recipe, I used a cream cheese-based one that is sweet and tangy. Of course, I slathered the bars with a generous layer of the frosting.
To make these sugar cookie bars perfect for the holiday season, I sprinkled them with a handful of festive sprinkles, but if you’re making them any other time of the year, use your favorite sprinkles.
I almost forgot, you can make these bars ahead of time. Once the bars are baked and cooled, you can freeze the unfrosted bars for up to two months, which is incredibly helpful during the holiday season and for adding to holiday gift boxes.
Thaw the bars in the fridge, then frost, slice, and serve. Just let them thaw in the fridge, then spread on the frosting, slice them into squares, and serve. They taste freshly baked, even after time in the freezer.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- salt
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- a large egg
- vanilla extract
- some milk
- cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- powdered sugar
- sprinkles
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and line a baking pan on all sides with parchment paper. To keep the parchment paper in place, you can attach a binder clip to each side of the pan.
Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for a minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat for a few minutes on medium until creamy.
Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low until the dough comes together. It should be fairly soft and will not ball up around the paddle.
Scoop the dough into the lined baking pan and spread it into an even layer. It’s more important to spread it into an even layer than to smooth the top of the surface since it will be covered with frosting. If you’re using binder clips to hold the parchment in place, you can remove them at this point.
Bake the bars on the center rack of the preheated oven for just under half an hour, until the edges are lightly golden and the center is just set. Remove the bars from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack. Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting.
Once the bars are cool, add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on medium until creamy, for about two minutes.
Scrape down the sides, then add the vanilla, salt, and about half of the powdered sugar. Beat on low, gradually working up to medium until the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on low, gradually working up to medium until you have a light and fluffy frosting.
Use the parchment to remove the cookies from the baking pan. Spread the frosting over the top of the bars in an even layer with a palette knife.
Decorate the top with sprinkles, then slice into sixteen equal squares and serve.
How to Store
Leftovers store best in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy cold, or let them sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Slice & Bake Cookies
- Spice Drop Cookies
- Spiced Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
- Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Raspberry & White Chocolate Cookies
What do you think of this amazing sugar cookie bar recipe? What would you serve with these bars? Let me know in the comment section below.
If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!
Happy holiday baking, friends!
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bar Recipe
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
These frosted sugar cookie bars are soft and chewy and require just 15 minutes of prep time! Enjoy these sugar cookie bars as part of a holiday spread or any time you’re craving a delicious and easy sweet treat.
Ingredients
- For the bars:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk, at room temperature
- For the frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and line an 8x8-inch baking pan on all sides with parchment paper. To keep the parchment paper in place, you can attach a binder clip to each side of the pan.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes on medium until creamy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the dry ingredients. Mix on low until the dough comes together. It should be fairly soft and will not ball up around the paddle.
- Scoop the dough into the lined baking pan and spread it into an even layer. It’s more important to spread it into an even layer than to smooth the top of the surface since it will be covered with frosting. If you’re using binder clips to hold the parchment in place, you can remove them at this point.
- Bake the bars on the center rack of the preheated oven for 23-27 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the center is just set. Remove the bars from the oven and place the pan on a wire cooling rack. Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting.
- Once the bars are cool, add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides, then add the vanilla, salt, and about half of the powdered sugar. Beat on low, gradually working up to medium until the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more, then add the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on low, gradually working up to medium until you have a light and fluffy frosting.
- Use the parchment to remove the cookies from the baking pan. Spread the frosting over the top of the bars in an even layer with a palette knife. Decorate the top with sprinkles, then slice into 16 equal squares and serve.
- Leftovers store best in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy cold or allow them to sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating.
Notes
FAQs
Can I bake the bars in a larger 9-inch pan? I do not recommend using a larger pan because the bars will be too thin.
Do I need to chill the dough before baking? Nope! There is no need to chill the dough before baking the bars.
Can I freeze the bars? Once the bars are baked and cooled, you can freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 2 months. Thaw the bars in the fridge, then frost, slice, and serve.
Recipe Tips
- The easiest way to spread the cookie dough into an even layer is to place plastic wrap over the surface and press it down. Remove the plastic wrap, then level out the surface with an offset spatula.
- To get clean, even slices, place the frosted bars in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up. Then, use a sharp knife to slice the bars, wiping off the blade in between each cut.
- In order to ensure the soft and slightly chewy texture of the bars, bake them just long enough for the edges to turn lightly golden brown. This will take between 23-27 minutes, depending on your oven and baking pan.
- Make sure the bars are completely cool before you frost them, or the frosting will melt.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 234mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g