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Sugar Cookie Bars
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These Sugar Cookie Bars give you everything you love about classic sugar cookies with a lot less hands-on work. They’re thick, soft, and chewy, then topped with sweet frosting and plenty of colorful sprinkles. Based on my Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, they’re easy to customize for holidays, birthdays, or any celebration.
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.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Softened butter gives the cookie bars a rich, buttery texture and makes the frosting smooth and easy to spread.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar adds sweetness and helps keep the cookie bars soft.
- Egg: The egg binds the ingredients and keeps the bars tender.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds a classic flavor to both the cookie bars and frosting.
- Almond extract: I always use almond extract in sugar cookies, but if you’re not a fan, you can simply replace it with more vanilla extract and make the recipe as written.
- All-purpose flour: Fluff the flour before measuring to avoid adding too much and making the bars dense.
- Baking powder: Baking powder helps the bars rise slightly as they bake.
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar makes the frosting smooth, creamy, and sweet.
- Milk: Milk thins the frosting to a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds extra flavor to the simple frosting.
- Sprinkles, if desired: Sprinkles add a fun finishing touch and a pop of color.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
For full details on how to make these Sugar Cookie Bars, see the recipe card down below.
Step 1: Preheat + Prep
Preheat oven. Line a 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.)
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Make the Frosting
Stir softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together until smooth and fluffy. Start by adding 3 tablespoons of 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!
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the sugar cookie bars and frosting a day ahead to make things easier when you’re getting ready to entertain. Keep the bars covered at room temperature and refrigerate the frosting in a covered container. Bring the frosting to room temperature, then frost the bars before cutting and serving.
Step 5: Frost Cookie Bars, Add Sprinkles + Serve
Spread over cooled cookie bars and add sprinkles if desired. Cut into sugar cookie bars and serve.
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!
Tips for Success
- Check the dough before adding more flour: The mixture can look crumbly in the bowl but should hold together when pressed. Adding extra flour to make it look like traditional cookie dough can leave the bars dry.
- Use the right pan size: A smaller or deeper pan will make the dough thicker and change the baking time. Stick with the recommended pan for evenly baked bars.
- Don’t wait for a fully browned center: Sugar cookie bars continue to set as they cool. Pull them from the oven when the edges are lightly golden, and the center no longer looks wet.
- Let the frosting soften before spreading: If refrigerated frosting feels too firm, let it sit at room temperature and stir it before adding more milk. This keeps you from thinning it too much.
- Cut with a clean, sharp knife: For neater squares, wipe the knife between cuts, especially once frosting or sprinkles start sticking to the blade.
What to Serve With Sugar Cookie Bars
Sugar Cookie Bars are great for parties, holidays, and casual get-togethers. These recipes make easy pairings for a dessert table or afternoon treat.
- Vanilla Ice Cream: A scoop of vanilla ice cream adds a cool, creamy contrast to the sweet, soft cookie bars.
- Whipped Cream: Light and fluffy whipped cream is an easy addition that works well alongside frosted sugar cookie bars.
- Strawberry Milkshake: The fruity strawberry flavor pairs nicely with the buttery vanilla-almond flavor of the cookies.
- Lemonade: A cold glass of lemonade adds a bright, tart contrast to the sweetness of the bars.
- Fruit Punch: Fruit punch is an easy party drink that pairs well with a tray of colorful sugar cookie bars.
I hope you give these Sugar Cookie Bars a try! They’re simple to make, easy to decorate, and always a fun addition to a dessert table.
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!
Ingredients
for the cookie bars-
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour* fluffed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
for the frosting-
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- sprinkles if desired for decoration
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. 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: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 154mgPotassium: 40mgSugar: 27gVitamin A: 365IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.8mg
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More Cookie Bars to Try!
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Carmelitas
- Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
- S’mores Bars
- 20+ Easy Cookie Bar Recipes with few ingredients
Storing Sugar Cookie Bars
Store frosted Sugar Cookie Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Place parchment paper between layers if stacking them to keep the frosting from sticking.
You can also freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. Wrap them well and place them in a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to use them, transfer the bars to the refrigerator and let them thaw overnight. Frost and cut the bars once they have completely thawed.
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 tag me @laurens_latest.
these are the best and so easy! the cookie bar layer is nice and soft without being doughy. ive tried other recipes where theyre to thick or to hard. loved these were for a 9×13 pan as well. I used 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract in my frosting. delish!
My family loves these bars! So easy to whip up!
These bars are amazing and so easy but I should have listened to my gut and only made a 1/2 recipe of the frosting. The frosting is very sweet and a little goes a long way. Will make them again!!
Interesting how sifting the flour before measuring it out made a huge difference. We forget how much flour settles . This is an amazing recipe. Thank you for sharing
Love your recipe
I make these often. They are a favorite with my kids and coworkers. I do add an extra egg yolk to make them more moist and extra vanilla instead of almond extract because of tree nut allergies.
Great recipe. Comes out almost like shortbread for me but in a great way. I subbed a tiny bit of flour for corn starch because I love the consistency it gives. Also added a bit of salt to the frosting to make it pop (I used unsalted butter like I do in all baking). Made this twice now and the first time I didnt have any almond extract so I subbed for more vanilla. People can’t stop eating these!! Thank you
My family really enjoyed the cookies and I like making them
I’ve been looking for a good sugar cookie recipe for years. My mom, rest her soul, was a fantastic baker, she would have loved these! I did not have almond extract so I made them without it. Also I used two eggs because large eggs don’t seem as large these days. I made these twice. I would highly recommend them. The ease of not having to use cookie cutters is such a time saver.
I love your recipes and so enjoy getting them❤️
Do you have to frost them? Can they be served without it?
No, you don’t have to frost them! They are delicious by themselves for sure.
These look so good, I can’t wait to try them. I love the ease of bar cookies!
Pros: Yum! So easy and I like they aren’t super sugary (I didn’t add frosting). I used semi-soft coconut oil instead of butter and added cardamom instead of almond for the flavor I was looking for, and it’s a great variation. The came out of the pan so easily
Cons: I made these in a 8×8 and thought they’d need longer to cook. Even at baking for 20 minutes, they came out a little toasty-er than most people would like for cookies. That’s on me for not watching closer, but hopefully others don’t make the same mistake.
These were delicious! I had a 2 1/2 yr old granddaughter helper and they turned out great!
Will be making these quick and easy bars again and again. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Hello! Could I add mix-ins like fresh fruit, and during what step should I do so? Thank you so much!
Are you wanting to bake this with fruit in it or are you wanting to top it with fruit, like a fruit pizza? Like this: https://laurenslatest.com/fruit-flan/
Flour: It’s called sifting, one can buy a sifter or use a sieve.
What would the measurements be if I wanted to do them in a jelly roll pan?
Soooooooo good! They’re going fast! Only thing is that you have your prep time at an hour and a half… it took only about 30 minutes max to get these all mixed up and in the pan AND do my initial round of dishes