These sugar cookie bars are easy to make and just as soft and fluffy as a classic sugar cookie. Frosted with a simple buttercream frosting, they are perfect for any occasion.
If you love sugar cookies, Swig cookies or sugar cookie truffles, you’re going to love these cookie bars!
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
This sugar cookie bars recipe is one of the tried and true bars that I’ve been making over the years. Another favorite variation that uses a sugar cookie base is this fruit pizza with a sugar cookie crust.
These cookie bars that I’m sharing today turned out so good!
The nice thing about them is that they are half the work as a cut out Christmas sugar cookie or even no roll drop sugar cookies but taste just as good. Baked from scratch with creamy buttercream frosting, they are thick, chewy and delicious!
Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe Ingredients
I believe there are two ingredients that make a good sugar cookie: sour cream and powdered sugar. The sour cream keeps the dough moist and the powdered sugar makes the dough fluffy.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Baking flour: Gives these cookies the base and adds texture and thickness to the sugar cookie dough.
- Salt: This is a flavor enhancer but also gives it the fluffy texture you need in all cookies.
- Baking powder: Increases volume in the cookie dough while being baked.
- Butter: Salted butter gives an extra boost of salt and flavor that helps build up the dough while being baked in the oven.
- Sugar: Adds the sweetness!
- Powdered sugar: This helps absorb moisture and gives cookies a lumpy appearance but also a soft and chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract: Blends the flavor together.
- Egg: Gives structure and combines the dough together.
- Egg white: Has a secret way of adding moisture and helps with the chewy texture.
- Sour cream: Chewy and flavorful cookies are the best! This sour cream does just that!
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
These easy sugar cookie bars are so easy to make and taste amazing!
- Dough. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer to mix together the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar for about 3 minutes, until fluffy. Next mix in the vanilla, eggs, and sour cream. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Assemble. Pour the dough mixture into a buttered 9×13″ glass baking dish. Press down on the dough to spread it out smoothly in the pan.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes (until lightly browned) and then cool before frosting.
Frosting the Bars
Buttercream is my favorite frosting to spread on top just like I use for these Lofthouse cookies!
- Prepare frosting. Combine all frosting ingredients in a large bowl. Beat together with a mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Frost the bars. Spread the frosting evenly over top of cooled cookie bars with a spatula.
Decorating Sugar Cookie Bars
The great thing about these sugar cookie bars is that they are perfect for literally any occasion. You can decorate them for a birthday, baby shower, holiday, or even just for fun!
- Coloring. Color the frosting with food coloring. Match the color to the special occasion or holiday. For Christmas sugar cookie bars, I like to leave the frosting white.
- Sprinkles. Add sprinkles on top! Rainbow, holiday, or colored ones for special events.
- Dough. Can also mix sprinkles in with the dough. Add the sprinkles to the dough before baking. You could even do 4 different mix-in’s like my sheet pan bar cookies!
- Toppings. Add M&M’s on top of the frosting or any other candy you love over top of the frosting.
Baking Tips
- Extra flavor. Can add almond extract or lemon extract to the dough for extra flavor.
- Sprinkles. Mix sprinkles in with the dough. Add the sprinkles to the dough before baking.
- Smooth. After pouring the dough into the pan, I use a piece of parchment paper to press it down to create a smooth and even surface.
- Baking. Remove from the oven when the edges are lightly golden. The center will continue cooking as it cools.
- Cutting. Use a sharp knife to cut the cookies into sections. In between each slice, wipe the frosting off the knife before slicing again. This will give clean slices each time.
- Frosting. Make sure bars have cooled completely before frosting. Instead of buttercream, try cream cheese frosting, sour cream frosting, or strawberry buttercream.
If you love cookies recipes as much as I do, try M and M cookies, cake mix cookies, funfetti cookies or this brown sugar cookie recipe, next!
More Cookie Bar Recipes
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Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Bars:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter (softened)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup sour cream
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoon half and half
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring (optional)
Optional: Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
Bars:
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Dry ingredients. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. With a mixer, combine 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Pour in 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 eggs, 1 egg white and 1/4 cup sour cream and mix until combined. Then pour dry ingredients into this bowl and mix until combined.
- Bake. Place mixture in a buttered 9×13" glass pan. Press down on dough with hands (or a piece of parchment paper) to smooth out the surface to avoid lumpiness. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Do not over cook.
Frosting:
- Combine 1/2 cup butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons half and half, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and food coloring in a large bowl and beat with a mixer for 2 minutes, or until fluffy.
- Once the bars have cooled completely, pour frosting over top and spread evenly with a spatula.
- Optional: Top with sprinkles for a decorative touch!
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
These easy sugar cookie bars will bake up and turn a light golden yellow color with a soft-looking crust on top. Use a wooden pick to place in the middle of the baking pan. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cookies are done, if not bake for a few more minutes.
Simple! Let your baked sugar cookies cool to room temperature. Either cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or slice the cookies into squares or shapes and place them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge for four to five days or until they become hard.
Yes! These cookie bars are perfect to store and freeze. Let the cookies cool and place them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper to freeze. This takes about 30 minutes. Then place those cookie squares in a ziplock bag or airtight container and store them in the freezer for one month.
Categorized as: American, Bars, Birthdays, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Frosted Cookies, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Absolutely delicious! Made them four times so far–any time I have to bring a dessert somewhere, I make these! So easy and yummy!
I’m so happy you love them Casey! They are definitely delicious and easy to make! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hi, could you tell me what TB half and half is?
Half and half is a dairy product consisting of cream and milk! You should find it near the milk section!
Hi. In the frosting ingredients it lists “1/2 t vanilla” is this 1/2 tsp vanilla extract?
Yes 1/2 tsp. vanilla is right! I’ll get that fixed! :)
First, the cookies were awesome. With that said I’d like to leave a comment for novices such as myself. First time around I had baking flour and they turned out perfect for cut out cookies. Kept their shape extremely well. Second batch I used all purpose flour; big mistake. Not only did I accidentally have to double it but I couldn’t pinpoint why it kept sticking terribly to the parchment paper. Needless to say…LESSON LEARNED. Use baking flour. Great recipe. =°)
What is baking flour, I mean, what makes it different from all purpose or cake flour?
The main difference among flour types is in the gluten content, which varies depending on whether the flour is made from hard wheat or soft wheat. All purpose flour works great too. :)
so is all purpose flour is what you used?
Thank you so much!!! I could not understand where I went wrong because these were not good!!! I used all purpose flour!!!!!! I will be making this again!!!!!!
These look and sound great but I’m from the UK and don’t know what ‘half and half’ is? Can anyone explain please?
Many thanks
Half and half is a dairy product, half milk/half cream.
I think you could single cream here in Englan
I just made these and they are delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe! I’m nursing and my baby can’t handle me eating chocolate (which makes me crave it so much), so these hit the spot.
WAYYYY easier than rolling and cookie-cutting and repeating the process again and again. Thanks for the time-saving recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
These look delicious! I love baking cookies, but when the toddler is afoot, I hate opening and closing the oven that much to change batches. Bar cookies are the perfect answer, and I can’t wait to try these!
These look delish, thanks for the recipe! Would this recipe work for rolling out the dough and making cut-outs?
Hi Jill! I would use this recipe for cut-outs. http://www.iheartnaptime.net/soft-sugar-cookies/
I was wondering… do you have to use the orange extract? I’m not a fan of orange. Without the orange would they taste more like traditional sugar cookies? Also, do you frost them in the pan or after you cut them? Thanks! Carey
No you don’t have to use it. You actually can’t taste the orange… but I just love the extra kick it gives. It taste great without it too. :)
Thanks for the response! I’ll have to try it if you don’t taste it too much, that is if I can find it at the store. I was also wondering, do you frost them in the pan? Or individually? Thx again! :)
I frost them in the pan. :)
I think I would like these bars better than cookies b/c I like SOFT sugar cookies, and they get crunchy around the edges…thanks!
Looks like Heaven!!
Oh my goodness. I know what I’m doing tomorrow! These look so good. Sugar cookies are my weakness. In a bar? That’s just dangerous. Thanks!
Quick question….I’m assuming that you combine steps all the ingredients from steps one and two,before pouring into pan, correct? Also, do you mix the frosting by hand or with a mixer? Thanks!
Hi Kristy! Sorry, yes. Mix steps one and two and then for the frosting I used a mixer (mixed for about 2 minutes). Enjoy!
These look fantastic… my MIL makes iced sugar cookies that are to die for and these remind me of them… yum!
Jamielyn, you’re seriously making me gain back any weight I’ve lost recently… Great recipe!
I am so going to make these!
Mmmmm, I love frosting, so naturally these look delish to me!