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Sugar Cookie Bars
February 9, 2022
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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 Bar Basics
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.
How to Make 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!
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!
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.
Freezing Sugar Cookie Bars
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.
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
Anyways, here’s the printable recipe card for sugar cookie bars; have a great day, friends!!
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 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
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
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Dear Lauren,
Your recipe turned out absolutely PERFECT…even though I did not measure ingredients accurately and used a pie dish!
I am currently newly married and living in Germany with my husband. Our kitchen is not fully stocked yet with standard baking tools and it is difficult to find perfectly equivalent baking ingredients here. It is not so fun to bake right now as every recipe I try is a real experiment given our circumstances!
Your recipe is now an absolute go-to for sugar cookie bars now! Here are the random adjustments I made:
None of the ingredients were perfectly measured: I used a coffee mug as the equivalent of 1 cup and went from there.
I did not have enough softened butter, so I actually melted a bit to speed things up!
I used a pie dish which I buttered & floured.
I added a teaspoon of baking soda (here it is called Natron).
Regardless of these changes, they turned out absolutely perfect. These bars brings me back to nostalgic primary school days where our American teachers would bring us fluffy delicious sugar cookies as snacks during the holidays! I cannot express how specific of a memory that is, and that reliving that exact mouthfeel and flavour is just so heart-warming.
Thank you Lauren for sharing this fantastic recipe! I look forward to making them again when I have better tools!
Wishing you all the best and sending our love from Germany!
I have these in the oven right now, and they smell divine! You might want to put “sifted” next to the 3 cups flour. I didn’t see that notation until everything was done as it is beneath the frosting instructions. I assume you mean sift when you say “fluff.” Anyway….I will make them another time and soft the flour. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
I did not sift the flour. I spooned it into the 1 cup, spoon by spoon, which gives it a bit of air/fluff. I am not sure what technique is needed exactly for this recipe (sifting vs. fluffing), but my bars turned out fantastic! Of course it could be dependent on the type of all purpose flour (APF) used. I am currently living in Germany and used the standard APF sold here. Hope this helps! All the best!
So yummy!!
this is my most used recipe of yours – although I do use others too!
I’m going to make these for my daughter’s preschool for Halloween! I’ve been hoarding Halloween sprinkles for a while and never have used them. Now is the time 🙂
[…] Sugar Cookie Bars | Kool-Aid Cookies […]
[…] 4th of July, friends, I made a lemon cream pie for this blessed holiday. I was going to post these sugar cookie bars today instead of on Wednesday, but thought I should post them early….for some reason. So, […]
They look so good.
I am going to made this recipe today for my kids.
Olga.
I have a cooking blog in Spanish with Google translate in many different languages.
Http://recetasolguis.blogspot.com
Hope you liked.
[…] the old scoop and bake method. (Plus, I gave all my cookie cutters away when we moved to NYC.) The sugar cookie bars are a great option if you are looking to mimic the same sort of taste but I wanted a proper cookie […]