Recipe for Sugar Cookie Bars - Cooking With Karli (2024)

Soft, chewy, sweet sugar cookie bars are all the yum with a fraction of the work! No need to roll and shape these – just bake, cut and enjoy.

This is the Best Recipe for Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar cookie bars are the busy baker’s best cookie hack. Every bit as delicious as the classic sugar cookie, these are chewy, thick, soft, sweet and topped with a decadent frosting! AKA, they’re amazing. The best part about this easy sugar cookie bar recipe is that you don’t have to spend an hour rolling and shaping dozens of individual cookies. Instead, you just pack your dough into a pan and let it bake. Once they’re baked and cooled, top it with frosting (as thick as you want) and cut into squares. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even use cookie cutters to make special shapes, just pop them in the fridge first to keep the frosting neat. .

Pro tip: If you add ¼ tsp of almond extract to the dough and substitute the vanilla extract for ½ tsp of almond extract in the frosting, these sugar cookie bars transform into a bar that tastes *exactly* like the Crumbl sugar cookie. You’re welcome.

Ingredients for Sugar Cookie Bars

• Salted butter, softened – I always use salted butter but you can use unsalted and add a pinch of salt to the dough.
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• All purpose flour
• Baking powder – This will help your sugar cookie bars rise perfectly.

Frosting

• Salted butter, softened – Again, I prefer salted butter!
• Powdered sugar
• Clear vanilla extract – We use clear vanilla extract to give your frosting a bright white rather than the typically murky color.
• Heavy cream of milk
• Food coloring – Make your frosting whatever color you’d like! I personally gravitate towards something pink or purple, but that’s just me.

How to make this Sugar Cookie Bar Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture. This will take approximately 2 minutes.
3. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Once mixed thoroughly, add in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
5. Press your finished dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
6. Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up, no longer look glossy in the center and the edges are just beginning to turn a golden color.
7. Allow the cookies to cool completely before frosting.
8. Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting.
9. Begin by creaming the butter until smooth in a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer.
10. Once the butter is creamed, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing until it is well incorporated before adding in more. You can add in a splash of heavy cream or milk to help bring the frosting together as needed. Repeat until all of the powdered sugar has been added.
11. Mix in the vanilla extract and food coloring. If the frosting is too thick, you can thin the frosting by adding a little bit of milk or heavy cream, as desired.
12. Spread onto the cooled sugar cookie bars and top with sprinkles, if desired.
13. Cut and enjoy!

Making Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars in advance

These sugar cookie bars are the perfect candidate for baking in advance! Bake and frost your bars like normal, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days until you’re ready to serve.

Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe Tips and Tricks

Make sure you do not overbake these bars! You want to pull them out of the oven as the cookies are puffed up, no longer look glossy in the center and the edges are just beginning to turn a golden color. This will ensure your cookie bars are soft, tender and don’t dry out.

Frosting and Decorating Sugar Cookie Bars

Make sure your sugar cookie bars are completely cool before you frost. This will keep the frosting from melting off of the bars! If you’re a sprinkle person, feel free to add sprinkles to the top to finish off this bake.

How to serve Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

I usually just cut these into squares, but you can use a cookie cutter to cut specialty shapes if you’d like – just let the bars cool in the fridge for easy cutting! Serve these up at a family gathering, birthday party or any type of shower.

Sugar Cookie Bar Storage instructions

Store your cookie bars in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

Other Cookie Bars to Check Out

• Monster Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Caramel Cookie Bars