Sugar Cookie Bars are soft and chewy with a delicious homemade buttercream frosting on top. They are the easiest way to make Sugar Cookies with no rolling out dough or cookie cutters required!
The best part? This one bowl cookie bar recipe comes together in just 10 minutes with a handful of staple baking ingredients before it’s ready to bake in the oven. It's the easiest way to bake cookies ever.
Why You'll Love these Sugar Cookie Bars
- Soft cookie bars with decadent icing. If you like soft and chewy cookies, then you’ll love these sugar cookie bars. The sugar cookie itself is soft and crumbly, and the icing on top is rich and fluffy. It’s the best of both worlds.
- They’re easy to make. These sugar cookie bars are so easy to make. It’s a one bowl cooke dough recipe which you then spread it on a baking tray before popping into the oven. No rolling and cutting out cookies or scooping and portioning out cookie dough here!
- They bake quickly. This easy recipe comes together after 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes in the oven. You only need to wait a little while time to let it cool down completely before you can add frosting and sprinkles on top.
- Sugar cookie bars are great for crowds. Whether you’re serving these sugar cookie bars at a birthday party, making them for a bake sale, or bringing them to a work potluck, these sugar cookie bars are the perfect to feed a crowd. With 24 individual slices, there’s enough for everyone!
- Customize sugar cookie bars for any holiday. You can switch up the color of the frosting and sprinkles to suit any holiday. For instance, use green frosting with white and red sprinkles for Christmas, pink frosting with white and red sprinkles for Valentine's Day, orange frosting with black and white sprinkles for Halloween, or blue frosting with red and white sprinkles for the Fourth of July.
Ingredient Notes
To make this easy Sugar Cookie Bars, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- butter - I recommend unsalted butter for the best results. You can substitute with salted butter, just leave out the extra salt called for in the recipe.
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- baking powder
- salt
- buttercream frosting - made with butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream.
- food coloring - we used red food coloring to dye the frosting pink. You can leave it white or switch up the color based on a theme that you are making these for (eg. orange for Halloween, green for Christmas, or blue for the Fourth of July).
- sprinkles - use any color sprinkles to match the theme that you are going for.
Baking Tools and Equipment
You will also need the following kitchen tools and equipment to make these sugar cookie bars:
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowls
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- half sheet baking pan and silicone baking mat (or parchment paper)
- wire cooling rack
How to Make the Best Sugar Cookie Bars
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together using a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Next, add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to low speed and add cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour and mix until just combined.
- Shape cookie bars. Line a large half sheet baking pan (9x13-inch baking sheet) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and lightly spray with cooking spray. Spread the cookie dough evenly in the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until puffy and just baked through, about 14-16 minutes (do not overbake as they will continue to cook in the baking sheet when removed from the oven).
- Cool. Place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool completely, about an hour.
How to Make Frosting for Sugar Cookie Bars
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Use a hand mixer to blend together until fluffy. If the frosting is too dry, add up to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled sugar cookie bars and add sprinkles on top. Slice into 24 bars and serve.
Storing Instructions
- How to store: Keep sugar cookie bars stored in an airtight container. Store them for up to 2 days at room temperature in a cool, dry place away from humidity, heat, or sunlight. You can store them for up to a week in the fridge but their texture will harden the longer they’re stored in there.
- How to freeze sugar cookie bars: If you like preparing ahead of time, you should know that you can freeze these sugar cookie bars! Freeze the unfrosted sheet of cookie bars wrapped tightly in plastic cling wrap and stored in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost, slice, and serve.
More Bar Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Fudgy Brownies
- M&M Cookie Bars
- Blueberry Oat Squares
- Easter Blondies
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Recipe
Sugar Cookie Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookie bars
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Sugar Cookie Bars are soft and chewy with homemade buttercream frosting on top. They're the easiest way to make sugar cookies with no cookie cutters!
Ingredients
For the sugar cookie bars:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 drop red food coloring
- sprinkles
Instructions
Make the sugar cookie bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a large half sheet baking pan (9x13-inch baking sheet) with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together using a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment) on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Turn the mixer to low speed and add cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour and mix until just combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until puffy and just baked through, about 14-16 minutes (do not overbake as they will continue to cook in the baking sheet when removed from the oven).
- Place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack and allow it to cool completely, about an hour.
Make the frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Use a hand mixer to blend together until fluffy. If the frosting is too dry, add up to 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled sugar cookie bars and add sprinkles on top.
- Slice into 24 bars and serve.
Notes
How to store: Keep sugar cookie bars stored in an airtight container. Store them for up to 2 days at room temperature in a cool, dry place away from humidity, heat, or sunlight. You can store them for up to a week in the fridge but their texture will harden the longer they’re stored in there.
How to freeze sugar cookie bars: If you like preparing ahead of time, you should know that you can freeze these sugar cookie bars! Freeze the unfrosted sheet of cookie bars wrapped tightly in plastic cling wrap and stored in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost, slice, and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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