Thick and chewy sugar cookie bars are easy to make, topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting (and plenty of sprinkles!). Enjoy all the flavor of homemade sugar cookies without chilling, rolling, or cutting out the dough.
Easy Sugar Cookie Bars
Some of my fondest memories are afternoons spent baking and frosting cut-out sugar cookies. There’s something so comforting in the process, and it always conjures up thoughts of the holidays! Whenever I have a time-sensitive craving for sugar cookies, however, sugar cookie bars are my favorite.
I love making this sugar cookie bars recipe for a quick, shareable dessert. These bars are thick and buttery, with soft, chewy middles and a sweet coating of buttercream frosting (topped with sprinkles, of course!).
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Cookie Bar Recipe
- Quick and easy. With sugar cookie bars, there’s no need for chilling, rolling, or cutting the dough into individual cookies. Just mix and bake!
- Thick and chewy. These bars are dense, chewy, and buttery, like soft sugar cookies in dessert bar form. They’re a quick, party-ready shortcut, smothered in creamy vanilla buttercream.
- Perfect for decorating. Birthdays, the holidays, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter? Instantly better with these sweet frosted sugar cookie bars.
Ingredient Notes
Sugar cookie bars are super pantry-friendly. You need just a handful of ingredients, and you most likely have them already! Below, I’ve included some notes on the key ingredients you’ll need. Remember to refer to the recipe card with the full amounts and recipe details.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter.
- Vanilla – Use good-quality real vanilla extract, as opposed to artificial vanilla. You’ll taste the difference!
- Cream of Tartar – The secret to the chewiest, softest sugar cookie bars. Cream of tartar keeps the sugar in the dough from crystallizing, for extra-soft and tender sugar cookies.
- Frosting – I include the recipe for my creamy vanilla frosting to decorate these cookie bars. Fluffy, simple, yet always a winner! You can frost your bars any way that you’d like, see further on for more ideas.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
You’re going to love this low-maintenance sugar cookie recipe! Let’s preheat those ovens and get started:
- Combine the wet ingredients. First, cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix everything, scraping down the bowl as you go.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, combine the dry ingredients separately. Add them slowly to the wet ingredients. Beat until the dough starts to form in the mixing bowl.
- Fill the pan. Afterward, press the dough into a 9×13 inch pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Use a spatula or your hands to press the dough evenly across the top.
- Bake. Bake the dough at 375ºF for 18-20 minutes. The goal is to take these cookie bars out when they’re still slightly underbaked: set at the edges of the pan, and soft (but not loose) in the center. Let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
Frosting the Bars
You can frost these cookie bars with your choice of store-bought frosting, or you can easily make your own. I highly recommend giving it a shot, and my tutorial on how to make buttercream is packed with helpful tips and details. Homemade buttercream is worth it!
- Prepare the frosting. Start with cold butter, beaten with a stand mixer for a few minutes to get it nice and fluffy. Afterward, slowly add powdered sugar a bit at a time, whipping thoroughly as you go. Finish with heavy cream, the last of your powdered sugar, and vanilla, and give the frosting one final whip.
- Frost the cookies. Use an offset spatula or knife to spread the frosting all over the top of the cooled cookie bars. Top with sprinkles, then slice and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
Below are some pro tips for the best-ever sugar cookie bars, plus some easy variations to try.
- Take your butter out of the fridge ahead of time. This gives it time to soften. I’ll admit that I sometimes forget to do this! To soften butter quickly, microwave it for 10 seconds and cut it into cubes. You may also need to spend a bit more time creaming the butter and sugar together.
- Take the cookie bars out when they’re slightly underbaked. This is the key to soft, chewy cookies and cookie bars. Keep an eye on the bars towards the end of the baking time, and make sure that you don’t overbake them.
- Trim away the edges. These cookie bars bake faster at the edges, so you might notice that the slab dips or sinks in the middle as it cools. For level bars, trim off the edges.
- Mix in sprinkles. Stir rainbow jimmies into your cookie dough for fun sprinkle-filled sugar cookie bars.
- Add flavoring. Change up the flavors of your cookie bars! Turn these brown sugar cookies into bars. You can also add extracts like almond, orange, or peppermint, or make lemon sugar cookie bars with lemon extract.
- Add-ins. Mix in chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, mini marshmallows, dried fruit, crushed nuts, or your favorite add-ins for texture and flavor.
More Ways to Decorate Sugar Cookie Bars
I’ll never run out of ideas for decorating homemade sugar cookie bars. They’re the ultimate dessert for holidays, parties, potlucks, and any given day of the week (I mean, they’re so easy to make, why not?).
- Different Frosting – If you’d like to frost these cookie bars with a flavor other than vanilla, try chocolate fudge frosting or this creamy strawberry frosting. Or, try another one of my must-have frosting recipes.
- Holidays – At Christmastime, I love to make peppermint sugar cookie bars for a yuletide twist. Get creative with frosting and piping! Check out my tutorial on how to decorate sugar cookies for inspiration. All those techniques translate to cookie bars, too.
- Piping – Top your bars with piped swirls of buttercream frosting. See my tutorials on how to use piping bags and how to use piping tips for loads of decorating tips and tricks.
How to Store
- To Store. These frosted bars will be at their freshest for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store cookie bars airtight or covered tightly in plastic wrap.
- Freeze. Unfrosted sugar cookie bars can be stored airtight and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookie bars in the fridge overnight before frosting and slicing.
More Cookie Bar Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Lemon Raspberry Magic Cookie Bars
- Brookies (Brownie Cookies)
- Brown Butter Blondies
- Classic 7 Layer Bars
Sugar Cookie Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 15 bars
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Thick and chewy sugar cookie bars are so easy to make, topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting (and plenty of sprinkles!).
Ingredients
For the cookie bars:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (380g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- 3 ½ cups (455g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon (15ml) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375° F
- Combine butter with sugar and beat on medium speed until well creamed together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix into the butter and sugar until the eggs are well beaten.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Slowly add it into the batter and beat on medium-low speed until well combined and the dough forms.
- Press the cookie dough into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 375°F 18-20 minutes. Allow the cookie bars to cool completely.
For the frosting:
- Cut butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter looks light in color.
- Add 2 cups powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated into the butter. Next, add the heavy whipping cream and mix to combine. https://dashboard.mediavine.com/videos/dfida2w7xildlcpyr2vo Finally add the remaining powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste and whip it on high for at least 2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
- Spread over cooled cookie bars, slice, and enjoy.
Notes
-
- Storing. These frosted bars will be at their freshest for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store cookie bars airtight or covered tightly in plastic wrap.
-
- Freezer. Unfrosted sugar cookie bars can be stored airtight and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookie bars in the fridge overnight before frosting and slicing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 607
- Sugar: 73.4g
- Sodium: 56.4mg
- Fat: 25.8g
- Saturated Fat: 15.8g
- Carbohydrates: 92.6g
- Fiber: .7g
- Protein: 3.7g
- Cholesterol: 91mg
I was surprised they was no salt on the recipe, especially with unsalted butter. I didn’t add any, but really wish I had!
Thanks for sharing this feedback Lisa, I will take that into consideration
Great tasting and super idea. I agree with halfing the frosting recipe. Does anyone know the science behind the raised edges of the cookies? Seems a waste to cut off the edges. I did not trim but noticed the center pieces went first! I did not have any heavy whipping cream so added milk instead. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Joyce! Thank you for sharing. The recipe has the baking soda which helps it rise, but the edges of the pan also bake faster and are fully baked through whereas the middle is not *fully* baked, so it might rise a bit and then sink a little.
I made these for the first time. The cookie bar is delicious and the buttercream was also delicious. Thank you for an easy buttercream frosting recipe. I am packing these up for my son who lives in Tennessee with his girlfriend and her young children. A wonderful alternative to rolled sugar cookies!
That’s awesome Stephanie! I am so glad you found this recipe, and you’re right, it’s so much easier!
This was PERFECT! I cut the recipe in half because I was out of flour and measured everything with a scale except the baking soda and cream of tartar (which I was worried wouldn’t be enough because of half-ing) and put them in an 8×8, baked at same temp and time and they’re so gooey and just right, not too sweet. Thank you!!
I love that so much Reece, thank you!!
I want to make the sugar cookie bars but need twice this many. Can I double the recipe and use a 10×15 sheet pan?
I haven’t baked with a pan that size, so I don’t have a clear answer. If you’d like you can also just bake two 9×13 inch pans
I made these and the cookie bar is perfect. Slight crisp on the outside, dense slightly chewy inside. Don’t change a thing. I took the author’s recommendation on flavoring and did 1/2 tsp almond extract with 1/2 tsp vanilla. Delicious.
However, you should 1/2 the frosting recipe. This is a great buttercream recipe, and I LOVE buttercream. But the frosting layer is equally as thick as the cookie bar. The frosting overpowers the cookie. After having a couple, I scraped 1/2 the frosting off and it’s much better. I never thought I could think of something as having too much frosting, but this does. Trust me, 1/2 the recipe will be plenty.
Thank you Jamie for the feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed these!
Very good! Yummy! And easy to make.
THANK YOU SO MUCH JANE!
How much heavy whipping cream? The ingredients list says 1 tbsp and then the directions say more, but doesn’t specify how much.
Hi there, I can see how this would be confusing. It’s one tablespoons total but I am adding it 1 teaspoon at a time. It could be more clear and I will fix that. thanks.
These look very tasty, Julianne! I also like to cut the edges off of my bar desserts, because they look much prettier that way. And the fact that you’re then left with a whole bunch of delicious edges to snack on as you clean up is a very appealing bonus… 😉