Sugar Cookie Bars
Soft sugar cookie bars topped with vanilla buttercream frosting are the perfect treat to feed a crowd or take on the go!
Sugar cookie bars were one of the first recipes I fell in love with when I started blogging. It was about 2009 and all of the sudden they were all over the internet, and I knew I had to try them myself. Sugar cookies that require no chilling, rolling, or cutting out? I am so on board.
I loved them so much that I shared the recipe here all those years ago (with horrible amateur photos that you can still see here) and I’ve baked them many, many times since. They’re my go-to dessert for large parties and potlucks because they’re super simple to make, they travel really well, and everyone loves them.
And I figured it was time to give that old post a much needed update. For those of us who have almost forgotten about them, and those among us who’ve never had them! It’s time to bake up a batch and party like it’s 2009.
Get creative with variations!
This recipe is a great jumping off point to customize the sugar cookie bars as you like. Add food coloring to the frosting to make these bars any color you like and use whatever sprinkles you have, or leave them off altogether.
You can also add different flavors and mixins! Turn these into lemon, chocolate chip, or funfetti sugar cookie bars by simply adding in lemon zest, chocolate chips, or rainbow sprinkles. No other changes to the recipe are necessary.
If you wanted to try these sugar cookie bars with a different frosting, my easy fudge buttercream or cream cheese buttercream are great alternatives.
Make these bars Ahead
Another reason why I love these sugar cookie bars are because they keep very well and I can make them ahead. The bars will keep at room temperature, frosted or unfrosted, for several days. Just be sure they are covered in plastic wrap or an air-tight container. They will also keep very well in the freezer unfrosted for at least 1 month. Double wrap in plastic wrap for storage in the freezer and thaw before frosting.
If you’re planning to stack the bars, either on a serving platter or in a container for storage or transportation, let them sit for at least 30 minutes after frosting. This will give the frosting time to form a “crust” which will make it easier to stack the bars without squishing them. I also like to chill the bars in the fridge to firm up the frosting, but it isn’t necessary.
baking tip:How parchment paper can make baking easier
For cookies, biscuits and scones: Line sheet pans with parchment paper before using. Prevent sticking without adding any extra grease and cleanup is as easy as throwing away the parchment!
For cakes: Line the bottoms of your cake pans with parchment paper and then either grease and flour, or coat with baking spray. You’ll never have a cake stick in your pan again!
For bars and breads: Line square or rectangular pans with parchment so that there’s a few inches of overhang on either side. When your baked good is ready to serve, use that overhang as a handle to lift it out of the pan. Then transfer to a cutting board and slice. No more messing up a slice trying to dig it out of the pan!
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Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the bars:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour (625 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
For the buttercream frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), at room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners sugar (455 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
- Gel food coloring and sprinkles , optional
Instructions
To make the bars:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13 x 18-inch sheet pan (also known as a half sheet pan) and line with parchment paper.
- With an electric mixture, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium high.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping down the bowl after each. Add the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. Add to the rest of the ingredients in 2 additions, mixing until just combined.
- Press the cookie dough into the sheet pan, using a greased spatula or parchment paper to spread it evenly. Bake for 14-17 minutes until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, mix all of the ingredients on low speed until it starts to come together.
- Increase speed to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until frosting is fluffy, pausing once or twice to scrape the bowl down.
- Add food coloring if using and mix until color is uniform.
- Spread frosting over sugar cookie bars and cover with sprinkles, if desired. Cut and serve.
Recipe originally published March 2010.
mmmm…those look amazing!
I agree. These cookie bars are really good. I remember making them a while ago. Your bars look beautiful. I love the color of your frosting.
These are so pretty, what a lovely treat they would make. THey look very "spring time".
Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH
p.s. please stop by my blog and enter my giveaway for £50 or $75 worth of Amazon vouchers 😀 I've just unveiled my new blog and am doing a give away to celebrate 😀
These look so simple and delicious. I want to dive in to the page and have one…..or two
Sugar cookies are my all-time favorite cookies, and I love that this is a quicker version of them. They look fantastic!
I love the way these cookies look so much! I love how the sugar cookie is thick and the fact that there is buttercream on top with sprinkles! I also like that these are easy, I wish I thought of doing this years ago.
I made these today. I baked them longer than the 10-15 minutes. The toothpick came out clean after 20-25 minutes. But they are like dough- even my teen guy said they were a no go.
The frosting is great and they are pretty but too doughy.
Next time I'll leave them in much longer…
Tami- I'm sorry they didn't work out for you. Did you use a 13 x 18 inch sheet pan? Because the first time I made these, I misread the recipe and baked them in a 9 x 13 inch pan and had the same problem. The middle was all dough. Then I realized my mistake and tried again with the sheet pan and had success. The dough needs to be spread thin enough to bake completely.
I hope you'll try these again, they're worth it! Good luck!
Made this today. Was fabulous with a cup of coffee (especially since it's snowing her in Utah).
I halved the recipe and baked it in a 10-in fluted tart pan. Came out gorgeous. The crust tastes like a big soft sugar cookie and the frosting is perfectly sweet with a nice vanilla flavor (I halved the frosting as well, but still used 1 T of vanilla).
Had company over and everyone loved it!
Bake-A-Holic- I know, what's with the snow???
I love the idea of using a tart pan and cutting the cookies into wedges. I'm going to have to give that a try.
So glad you liked them!
I'm about to put a half-batch in the oven. I'm using a Demarle silicone pan that is about 9½" square. I hope that's thin enough! Will have to watch my time for sure! I substituted half of the vanilla extract with almond and I used spray on my hand to pat the dough out! I'm very eager to try these!!
I made these a couple weeks ago and they were heaven! I ran out of vanilla extract halfway through, but replaced it with almond and they were delicious! I can't wait to make these again 🙂 Thanks for all the great recipes!
You must have had me in mind when coming up with these! Yum yum! I'm making these for my bday treat 🙂
Hello there- I wanted to make something special for my hubs for Fathers Day today. I needed to make something with stuff I had at home, I had all these ingredients. I just pulled the cookie bars out of the oven… they look great. I can't wait to frost them and dive in. So glad I found you through googleing easy sugar cookie recipe. This totally beats the chilling and rolling part of sugar cookies. Thanks again, Winks-Jen
shared this recipe on my craftomaniac fb page!
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I wanted to add red and green M&Ms to the dough and just make the cookie bars without frosting. Has anyone tried that? I’m hoping they won’t be too dry.
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Followed the recipe exactly except baked for a total of 27 minutes. Appreciated the parchment paper / easy clean instructions. The buttercream frosting is delicious and just the right amount for the pan size. However, the cookie does not taste like a sugar cookie. Mine were more like a dry cake or shortbread. Just very thick in the mouth and flat, flavorless, bland. I liked the idea of bar cookies for a crowd. I will try a different cookie recipe and use this frosting next time.
I’m sorry to hear this wasn’t quite what you wanted. Though I’m wondering why you baked for 27 minutes, which is almost double the time instructed in the recipe? They were probably overdone and too dry. Just a thought. I’ve made them dozens of times, we love them!
they look good and will try them
Made these today! Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!!
Can this recipe be used to form a large (most of the recipe) Pumpkin that I can decorate and give as a gift?
Sure!
These are so addictive. I only make them when I’m taking these somewhere. I took them to youth group tonight & my daughter brought home 4 squares. Easy & delicious
OMG these are fun and so good! I was thinking the buttercream wouldn’t work on sugar cookies, but it totally does on the cookie bars. The vanilla buttercream frosting recipe is by far the best I have ever tried!
I halved the recipe and baked them in a 9 x 13 pan. It was a bit difficult spreading the dough, but I found wet fingers worked best.