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two stacked sugar cookie bars

Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars

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  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus additional time for decorating)
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 18 bars
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars are soft and chewy and topped with a perfect  vanilla frosting decorated to look like a Christmas tree. They’re buttery, dense and so delicious!


Ingredients

For the cookie bars:

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups (380g) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) peppermint extract
  • 3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (60g) chopped Andes Peppermint Crunch thins or baking chips

For the frosting:

  • 2 cups (454g) unsalted butter, cold
  • 5 cups (650g) powdered sugar
  • 23 tablespoons (30-45ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 12 teaspoon (5-10ml) vanilla extract to taste

Instructions

For the cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
  2. Combine butter with sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together.
  3. Add the eggs and peppermint extract. Mix until well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add slowly, beat on medium low speed until dough starts to come together. Then add the peppermint candy and beat until combined. Press the dough into the prepared pan.
  5. Bake at 375°F 18-20 minutes. Allow the cookie bars to cool completely.

For the frosting:

  1. Cut butter into pieces, about 1 tablespoon size. Using the paddle attachment, whip butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until butter look light in color.
  2. Alternate adding 2 cups powdered sugar at a time with the liquid ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated into butter, then beat on high 60 seconds before adding additional powdered sugar. Ensure the frosting is whipped and spreadable prior to coloring.

To decorate these bars:

  1. Color 2 ½ cups of frosting for the pink and fill a large piping bag fitted with piping tip 866.
  2. Color 2 ½ cups of frosting for the teal. Fill a large piping bag with 2 cups of teal frosting. I recommend using a double bag method for this color so you can easily change out the tips. Prepare a second piping bag with 1M tip, but do not fill with frosting, instead, place the filled bag inside of the other.
  3. Take the remaining ½ cup of teal frosting and fill a small piping bag fitted with a couple and either tip 21 or tip 199.
  4. Start by piping the pink around the outside edge of the Christmas tree until completely covered then carefully remove the paper cut out.
  5. First pipe large and small rosettes with the 1M tip.
  6. Then change the tip to 866 and fill in other areas around the tree.
  7. Then fill in the remaining holes altering between tip 21 and tip 199
  8. Use various size bead sprinkles to make the garland and then garnish with additional sprinkles.


Notes

  • Frosting amounts: If you are not planning to decorate these bars the way I have, you don’t need to make this much frosting. You’ll need  1 cup (226g) unsalted butter/ 3 ½ cups (455g) powdered sugar / 1 tablespoons (15ml) heavy whipping cream / 1 teaspoon (15ml) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • Freezing these bars: If you’re looking to get ahead on your holiday baking, I recommend freezing the cookie, uncut. Cool it completely, and then tightly wrap in parchment paper and plastic wrap. Thaw overnight prior to frosting.
  • How to store these bars:Whether you store this whole or as cut bars, it’s best kept at room temperature in an airtight container.If you don’t need to slice them all at once, then just slice off what you need and store the rest uncut for the best results.
  • Additional details for decorating and equipment are listed in the blog post

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 606
  • Sugar: 58g
  • Sodium: 48mg
  • Fat: 34g
  • Carbohydrates: 75g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 103mg