This Sugar Cookie Bars recipe comes in handy when I want to sink my teeth into a yummy, frosting covered cookie but don’t have hours to devote to making regular sugar cookies. The simple dough bakes up soft, chewy and perfect every time and the sweet buttercream frosting can be flavored and colored to suit any holiday, gathering or occasion. A pan of simple cookie bars is fun to decorate with sprinkles or candy for birthdays or class parties. Give these sugar cookie bars a try!

The best thing about these sugar cookie bars (besides how delicious they are) is how easy they are to throw together. Here’s all you need:

Butter – one cup, or two sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature Sugar – one and a half cups white granulated sugar Eggs – three whole eggs. I generally try to use large or extra large eggs for this recipe. Vanilla extract – three teaspoons. You can substitute one or more of these teaspoons with almond extract for a deeper, richer flavor. All purpose flour – three cups, sifted flour Baking powder – two teaspoons Salt – one teaspoon kosher or regular table salt Cornstarch – one tablespoon cornstarch helps give these cookie bars a super soft, chewy texture.

For the Frosting:

Salted butter – one stick, softened salted butter. I like to use salted for the frosting because it gives a better taste, but you can use any butter you have on hand. Shortening – half a cup plain or butter-flavored vegetable shortening makes this frosting soft, velvety and smooth. Powdered sugar – Use about half of a two pound bag of sifted confectioners’ sugar. If you like a thicker frosting you can add more powdered sugar, adding a quarter cup at a time until it’s the thickness you like. Heavy cream – three tablespoons or more if the frosting seems too thick. Half and half works great too for this recipe. Vanilla – two teaspoons vanilla extract Salt – just a pinch, for flavor. This is optional, depending on how the frosting tastes to you. Gel coloring – I used pink for this recipe, but you can use any color to suit the occasion. Sprinkles or candy – optional, but fun to decorate for holidays or birthdays.

Secret to Softness

Soft sugar cookies are my absolute favorite, and there are lots of little tips and tricks to getting the perfect softness and chewy texture:

Add cornstarch to the flour mixture. This helps the cookie bars bake up soft and stay soft. Be careful not to overbake these bars. Check them at the minimal baking time; if they have a golden edge, then pull them out. They will continue to bake while they’re cooling in the baking pan. Use butter that has been softened to room temperature. Use a paddle attachment of your stand mixer to cream the softened butter with the sugar, creating a light and fluffy texture. Make sure to use the correct amount of flour. I like to use the spoon and level method to measure flour to avoid packing it into the cup. Too much flour can give these cookie bars a drier, more crumbly texture. Don’t overmix the dough. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Overmixing can give the cookies a heavier, harder texture.

Tips for Velvety Smooth Frosting

More Frosting Possibilities

Want to switch up the frosting flavors? Give any of these other frosting recipes a try:

You can leave the pan of cookies frosted as is, or throw just about any kind of toppings on top of your cookie bars for fun and different flavored treats. Try any of these yummy toppings:

Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Buttercream

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Sugar Cookies w/ Raspberry Frosting

Sprinkles – any color combination White chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips Chopped pecans or peanuts Toffee bits Sweetened shredded coconut Chopped M&Ms or candy bars Drizzle of caramel sauce

Decorating Ideas

The beauty of this Sugar Cookie Bars recipe is how versatile it is! You can mix and match toppings, colors and flavors to make different desserts for every occasion. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Christmas: flavor the frosting with a teaspoon of peppermint extract and decorate with crushed candy canes or red and green sprinkles. Halloween: use orange gel coloring and top the cookie bars with candy corn or chopped up bits of the kids’ leftover Halloween candy. Valentine’s Day: decorate with pink frosting and conversation hearts or red hots. Birthday parties: any color of frosting and fun, colorful sprinkles. Baby showers: use blue or pink frosting and colored sprinkles. Fourth of July: use white frosting and decorate with red white and blue sugar sprinkles. Easter: pastel colored frosting and Cadbury mini eggs for decorations.

It can be difficult to tell the doneness of these cookie bars because the outsides will bake faster than the middle in a 9×13 pan. The first thing I do is check the color of the center. It should have no shine in the middle, just a dull pale color and the same height as the sides. If you take out the cookies and notice the cookie dough looks raw in the middle as it’s cooling, place the pan back in the oven for a few more minutes. READ MORE: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas

Bar cookies are perfect for picnics, parties, potlucks, any occasion! Try some of our favorite bar cookie recipes:

Coconut Chocolate Bars

Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

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