Sugar Cookie Bars

4.40 from 53 votes

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These simple Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy and sweet! They are thick, chewy and totally festive. Based off my classic Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, these bars require much less effort and are perfect for any occasion. Don’t forget to top these with frosting and sprinkles!

sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other

You’re going to need simple everyday ingredients for these Sugar Cookie Bars and a little bit of your time. The result is amazing treats perfect for sharing.

Almond Extract

While I am a firm believer in always using Almond extract for any and all sugar cookies, there are people out there who strongly disagree with me. If you are one of these people, simply replace the almond extract with more vanilla extract and complete the recipe as written below.

All-Purpose Flour

Be sure to fluff the flour first before spooning into measuring cups and leveling the tops. Not fluffing the flour will mean more flour added to the dough and will make for a stiffer end product.

If you LOVE sugar cookies, check these recipes out: Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies, Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, Classic Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookie Blossoms, and Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies.

top down view of sugar cookie bars

For full details on how to make these Sugar Cookie Bars, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Preheat + Prep

Preheat oven. Line 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. (I put some parchment paper into mine to make bar removal easy, but feel free to just spray really well with nonstick.)

Make the Dough

In a large bowl, stir butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, vanilla, and almond extract and whip until fluffy. Scrape the sides and stir again briefly. Stir in remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. It won’t come together as a dough initially, but if you grab a handful, it should hold its shape.

Bake + Cool

Spread cookie dough into prepared pan and press down evenly.

Bake sugar cookie bars until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Make the Frosting

Stir softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk together until smooth and fluffy. Start by adding 3 tablespoons milk and work up from there until frosting is the desired consistency.

Feel free to add color to your frosting or switch up the sprinkles. You can make these for any event or occasion and everyone will love them!

Spread over cooled cookie bars and add sprinkles if desired. Cut into sugar cookie bars and serve.

top down view of sliced sugar cookie bars

Doubling

This sugar cookie bar recipe can easily be doubled. Such an easy recipe is perfect for parties or get-togethers.

To double, either use another 9×13 baking dish or spread the dough in a sheet pan. The cooking time in a sheet pan will be shorter so watch it while it bakes!

Make-Ahead

You can make these bars and the frosting a day in advance to help prepare for a busy day ahead of entertaining friends. Store the sugar cookie bars, covered, at room temperature, and store the frosting, covered, in the fridge. Frost before cutting and serving.

You can also freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the frozen bars to the fridge and let them sit overnight. When ready to serve, frost, cut, and enjoy.

three sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other

Anyways, here’s the printable recipe card for sugar cookie bars; have a great day, friends!!

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.

top down view of sliced sugar cookie bars
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4.40 from 53 votes

Sugar Cookie Bars

These simple Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy and sweet! Perfect for any occasion, they are thick, chewy and topped with frosting and sprinkles!
servings 24 bars
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

for the cookie bars-

for the frosting-

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3-4 tablespoons milk
  • sprinkles if desired for decoration

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, vanilla and almond extract and whip until fluffy. Scrape the sides and stir again briefly. Stir in remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. It won't come together as a dough initially, but if you grab a handful, it should hold its shape.
  • Spread dough into prepared pan and press down evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Frosting

  • Stir all ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Start by adding 3 tablespoons milk and work up from there until frosting is the desired consistency.
  • Spread over cooled cookie bars and add sprinkles if desired. Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

*Be sure to fluff flour first before spooning into measuring cups and leveling the tops. Not fluffing the flour will mean more flour added to the dough and will make for a stiffer end product.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 40mg | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.8mg
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cookie bars, sugar cookie bar recipe, sugar cookie bars

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Recipe Rating




91 Responses
  1. dawn

    i didn’t see in comments so i might of missed it but on the almond flour is it important i’m making these and someone has nut allergy that would eat them.

  2. Brianna

    5 stars
    Well these are literally the tastiest and easiest EVER!! I have made them at least a dozen times, for anything and everything, and they never disappoint. The combo of almond and vanilla extract is amazing! When I take things to my husbands work, his co-workers request this 😍❤

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  6. Amy R

    5 stars
    I love sugar cookies and have been dying to try these!! I finally got my chance and took them to a pool party. They were a huge hit and loved by all! Thank you!!!

  7. Erin

    I did not care for these. The texture was crumbly and there was WAY too much almond flavor! Back to the drawing bord for a sugar cookie bar recipe 🙁

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  9. ar

    Is there a way to make the frosting chocolate using baking cocoa? Or something else easy to find? Would lemon flavoring work in these too?

  10. maria

    1lb of powdered sugar for the frosting is WAY too much! it turned out sickly sweet, I wish I didn’t put so much. Now I have to do it all over again.

  11. Karen

    5 stars
    I made these this past week for a friend who loves my sugar cookies. I needed to cheat, as I did not have a lot of time for rolling and cutting, then, frosting. So, made these and they are the BOMB!!!!! Yes, they are and I didn’t change a thing. I had frosting leftover for some reason…maybe I didn’t spread it on as thick…so now I need to make another batch. They are delicious and so easy! I cut them in really tiny squares as my friend likes small portions. I got a gazillion little tiny squares from this. It is a keeper and a repeater for sure. They are sturdly little squares too, and think I can easily mail them to my other sugar cookie lovers. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!! No excuse to not bake from scratch when you have recipes this easy!

  12. Katrina e wise

    Just curious, do these really need the frosting to be successful? My guy doesn’t like frosting, so I was thinking I’d just sprinkle sugar on top before baking instead?

  13. Destiny

    5 stars
    They are delicious!!! I would also take out the almond extract it Is too strong for me. I made them for a birthday and added rainbow sprinkles, but I think I will make them more often! They are great!!! Thanks

  14. Kelly

    5 stars
    These are so easy to make. I doubled the recipe and baked in a large cookie pan/sheet. I forgot to double the frosting but I still had enough to cover entire pan. I left out the almond extract because I’m not much of a fan. They were excellent, tasted like christmas cut outs, and a HUGE hit! Thank you:)

  15. Tom Stuart

    Okay, for folks like me who are domestically challenged, just how many cups does one lb. of powered sugar work out to? I know, poor English. Sorry, and thanks.

  16. Tara

    I’ve made these 3 times since July 4!! Made them and took to a July 4 BBQ, made them for my kids & co-workers and then made them again for kids & co-workers!! How crazy is that!! A new favorite cookie! Have you ever tried using cookie cutters with them?

  17. Kim Rhoades

    So is it just one egg? also salted or unsalted butter…hoping for a quick reply going to the store and having a part tomorrow want to make them for the grandkids

  18. Alanna Kellogg

    5 stars
    Kids and grown-ups alike couldn’t keep their fingers off these on the 4th … I did use only half the icing (and it was p-l-e-n-t-y) but skip the sprinkles. I also cut them in tiny one-inch squares, slightly less decadent and the moms didn’t mind when the kids grabbed two or three. Nice work!

  19. Tracy

    I made these for the 4th and thought they were good, but a little dry. I noticed in your photos/directions, you said “eggs”, but the ingredients just listed 1 egg. I want to try again but thought I might try 2 eggs next time. Do you think that might help? Thanks for the super easy recipe!

  20. Michelle s

    I made these last night and they were fabulous! My kids were not so wild about the almond extract. Can I leave it out or substitute it?

  21. Meagen Russ

    5 stars
    Add a lttile almond extract (to taste-about 1-2 tsp) to the frosting for just a little more decadence! Yum!!!

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  23. Kim

    I am wanting to know if the bar is a “firmer crisper” cookie bar or a “softer” bar? My family likes the sugar cookie recipe that is called Deluxe and always used powdered sugar instead of granulated in the dough which made it softer. I want to try these if they are on the softer bar side.

  24. Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs

    Oh my dear goodness these look a-mazing! I haven’t ever had cookie bars like this and I think my life is forever changed simply by your picture! Can’t wait to try this recipe soon 🙂

  25. Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet

    Sugar cookie bars are on my to-make list. Time to make them happen! These look fantastic! And so festive!

  26. Monica M.

    5 stars
    Made these today. Very good and soft and so very easy! One thing I will do different next time is leave out the almond extract. It was a bit too strong of a flavor for me. I also didn’t have sprinkles so I did red, blue, and white icing! Yum. Kiddos can help make this its so easy!

      1. Paula

        thanks so much for answering me so quickly! I only have whipped butter how much would I need to make these? Sorry for the million and one questions..!

        1. Deb

          Since one cup of butter is 8 ounces, you could weigh out 8 ounces of the whipped butter on a kitchen scale. But this will only work if it I’d really just whipped butter and not a spread with added water.

  27. Supriya

    I love your recipes and this looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!! I was wondering if you provided metric measurements for your recipes as well? Many thanks!

  28. Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen

    I’m crazy for sugar cookies. I was always the weird kid that wanted plain sugar cookies instead of chocolate chip. Love the festive decorations!

  29. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog

    OMG, YES! These are absolutely brilliant and delicious looking! Just last night I was talking to my friend about making sugar cookie bars for a party, definitely pinning for later 🙂

  30. Emily Bryant

    I love sugar cookies and these look so easy I almost want to run to the kitchen and make them right now. But there is a sad butter and powdered sugar shortage in my kitchen at the moment.

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