These are best soft sugar cookie bars ! These soft sugar cookie bars are frosted with cream cheese frosting and are perfect for any occasion!
Be sure to try my traditional Sugar Cookie Recipe too!
Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
If you’re looking for a dessert perfect for any occasion, you’ve found it! These cream cheese frosted bars are sweet and can be made into any color you’d like with a drop or two of food coloring. Buttery sweet cookie bars underneath sweet creamy frosting on top.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great For Holidays. This is a cookie recipe that works for just about any holiday.
- Easy To Make. With my step by step instructions, you’ll have no trouble making this recipe.
- Frosting Options. Depending when you’re making this recipe, change up the frosting color as needed.
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What Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make sugar cookie bars at home. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full details and instructions.
- Salted Butter- For most of my recipes I use salted butter. Unsalted works too.
- Granulated Sugar– This fine white sugar adds sweetness to the cookie bars.
- Powdered Sugar– Also called confectioners sugar, this sugar adds sweetness to the cookie bars.
- Large Egg– For consistency, I use large eggs in my cooking and baking.
- Pure Vanilla Extract- Use pure vanilla extract for best tasting results.
- Sour Cream– Use full fat sour cream for the recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient in the cookies.
- Baking Powder– Baking powder helps the cookies rise during baking.
- Kosher Salt– Kosher salt is a course salt commonly used in cooking and baking. I prefer it over table salt.
- Food Coloring If Desired– Choose different food coloring to choose the color of your frosting.
- Sprinkles If Desired– Any sprinkle you enjoy works great.
How To Make Sugar Cookie Bars
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Cream Butter and Sugars. Place butter and sugars into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Beat until well combined.
Egg and Vanilla. Add egg, vanilla and sour cream mixing until well combined.
Dry Ingredients. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt, stirring until thick dough forms.
Transfer Dough To Baking Dish and Bake. Transfer dough into prepared baking dish, pressing evenly in bottom of dish. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
Prepare Frosting. To prepare frosting, place cream cheese and butter into a mixing bowl or stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Add a drop or two of food coloring if desired. Spread over cooled bars.
Sprinkles. Use any sprinkles of your choice for the top. Other options are crushed cookies and even M&M’s.
Cut Bars. Cut bars into squares and serve room temperature.
Recipe Tips For Success
- Use Quality Ingredients. For best tasting results use the best quality ingredients.
- Don’t Over Bake. To keep the sugar cookies nice and soft, be sure to watch that the cookies don’t over bake.
- Soften Butter and Cream Cheese. Make sure butter is softened and cream cheese has plenty of time to soften.
- Full Fat. Use real butter, full fat cream cheese and full fat sour cream.
- Cool Completely. Let sugar cookie bars cool completely before adding frosting.
- Choose Your Own Colors. Use any food coloring you’d like for the frosting.
- Plastic Knife. Use a plastic knife to cut the bars to prevent sticking.
How To Serve Sugar Cookie Bars
Serve frosted bars for any Holiday or occasion. It’s fun to mix up the color of frosting depending on the occasion you’re serving them. Lots of fun options to play with.
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Try More Cookie Bar Recipes
Soft Sugar Cookie Bars
Equipment
- Oven
- mixing bowl
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- parchment paper
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoon
- offset knife to spread frosting
Ingredients
- 1 stick softened butter salted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 tablespoons softened cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons softened butter salted
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place butter and sugars into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Beat until well combined. Add egg, vanilla and sour cream mixing until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt, stirring until thick dough forms. Transfer dough into prepared baking dish, pressing evenly in bottom of dish. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
- To prepare frosting, place cream cheese and butter into a mixing bowl or stand mixer with whisk attachment. Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Slowly beat in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Add a drop or two of food coloring if desired. Spread over cooled bars. Top with sprinkles of your choice if desired. Cut bars into squares and serve room temperature.
Nutrition
Pin Sugar Cookie Bars
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Could you leave out the cream cheese from the frosting? My kids don’t usually like cream cheese frosting.
Made these over lunch break today. Quick to make and taste amazing. The frosting is a wonderful complement to the cookie—it goes perfectly together. Thanks for the recipe…I will be making it again!
This is a great recipe! I made mine with pink frosting and white sprinkles. So delicious!
So delicious! I made these with pink frosting and white sprinkles! Great recipe!