Sugar Cookie Bars are a soft and chewy version of classic sugar cookies baked in a pan and topped with smooth vanilla buttercream frosting. Instead of rolling and cutting individual cookies, the dough is pressed into a baking dish and baked all at once, making these bars an easy dessert for holidays, parties, and everyday baking.
These bars have a tender sugar cookie base made with butter and cream cheese, which gives them a rich flavor and soft texture. Once cooled, the bars are topped with a simple vanilla frosting and finished with colorful sprinkles.
They are perfect for birthday parties, holiday dessert trays, or anytime you want the flavor of a sugar cookie without the extra work of rolling dough.
If you enjoy classic sugar cookies, you may also like my Soft Frosted Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Buttercream, which are perfect for decorating.
Why These Sugar Cookie Bars Work
Cream cheese adds richness and keeps the cookie bars soft and tender.
Pressing the dough into a pan makes this recipe easier than traditional cut-out cookies.
The vanilla buttercream frosting spreads smoothly and sets nicely.
The bars slice cleanly once the frosting is set.
Ingredients in Sugar Cookie Bars
- Unsalted Butter - room temperature is best
- Cream Cheese - gives the sugar cookie bars a tender texture.
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour - spooned & leveled
- Salt
- Egg
- Confectioner's sugar - for the buttercream frosting
- Lemon Juice - for the buttercream frosting
- Milk - used to make frosting creamy
- Food coloring - I used green for these cookie bars. It's a great color for spring and for celebrating St. Patrick's Day. A darker green makes these bars festive for Christmas!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease and line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving two sides hanging over the edges to help lift the bars out later.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add the salt and flour and mix just until a soft dough forms. If needed, gently knead the dough with your hands to fully combine.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Press the dough evenly into the pan. If the dough is sticky, place a piece of parchment paper on top and use the bottom of a glass to press the dough evenly across the pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookie bars to cool in the pan for about 1 hour before frosting.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
- Add the lemon juice, milk, vanilla extract, and salt and mix until combined.
- Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Add food coloring if desired and mix until evenly blended.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars using an icing spatula. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.
- Allow the frosting to set before cutting into bars.
Helpful Tips
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature so the dough mixes smoothly.
- Press the dough evenly in the pan so the bars bake uniformly.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Use parchment paper in the pan to easily lift the bars out before cutting.
If you love easy sugar cookie desserts, try these Snickerdoodle Blondies or these Brown Butter Sugar Cookies.
Variations
Holiday sugar cookie bars
Add festive sprinkles to match different holidays.
Different frosting colors
Divide the frosting and tint with food coloring for themed desserts.
Extra vanilla flavor
Add a little extra vanilla extract to the frosting if desired.
Storage
Store sugar cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
For longer storage, place the bars in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow frozen bars to thaw at room temperature before serving.
Looking for more cookie ideas? Browse our Favorite Cookie Recipes collection for more homemade favorites.
📖 Recipe
Sugar Cookie Bars with Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese - room temperature
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter - room temperature
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Grease and line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Leave two sides hanging over for easy removal.
- Combine the unsalted butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl.
- Beat the granulated sugar until creamy.
- Beat in 1 egg and the vanilla extract.
- Beat in the salt and all-purpose flour until soft dough forms.
- If needed, knead with hands to combine the dough well.
- Place the cookie dough inside the baking dish and spread evenly across the dish. (To make this easier, place parchment paper on top of the dough and use a glass to spread the dough from the center of the dish to the edges.
- Make sure that the dough is evenly spread inside the dish before baking.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. The edges should be lightly browned and the center set. If desired, bake for a few minutes extra at a time if you want firmer sugar cookie bars.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before frosting.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
- Beat the unsalted butter until creamy.
- Add in the lemon juice, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Slowly beat in the confectioner's sugar.
- Add the desired amount of food coloring if using and blend well.
- Using an icing spatula, evenly spread the frosting and decorate with sprinkles if desired.
- Allow the frosting to harden before cutting into bars.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.
- Line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Store bars in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
Veronika says
These bars look like the perfect Easter dessert, love the spring colors! Pinning for later.
Linda says
Cookie bars are my weakness and this recipe is a must-try! So easy to make and beautiful