A classic sugar cookie made easy by cutting them into bars, no rolling required! These Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars have a generous layer of buttercream, tinted in your favorite color!
This recipe was originally published in May 2014. I updated the images and recipe notes in April 2026.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Sugar cookies are appropriate for just about any occasion. Holidays, a birthday, or just because they’re delicious!
But while I’m always in the mood for cut out sugar cookies, I’m not always in the mood to do all the rolling and cutting involved in making them. Solution: Sugar Cookie Bars!
You don’t need to wait for the dough to chill, use your rolling pin, or slice up individual cookies for this recipe. It’s quick, easy and full of the classic sugar cookie taste everyone loves.
Choose your favorite color of icing and add sprinkles!
Delicious, soft, and easy
– Molly
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – I use unsalted butter in my baking to control the amount of saltiness in the finished cookies. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of added kosher salt in the recipe slightly. Use my guide on how to soften butter quickly!
- Pure Vanilla extract – Try making your own Vanilla Extract for even more flavor!
- Granulated Sugar- This recipe would also be a great time to put to use any Vanilla Sugar you happen to have in the cupboard.
- Food coloring – You can leave this out to make a plain white frosting but I love making the frosting different colors for different moods and occasions.
How to Frost Cookie Bars
Use my favorite sugar cookie frosting. Or be different and try my chocolate cream cheese frosting instead!
Whichever way you slice them, I think you’ll agree that making sugar cookies into bars is the BEST way to eat them!
You’ll love how soft, thick and chewy these taste. Paired with the best ever buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles, you have the perfect sugar cookies for dessert.
Tips and Tricks
- After making the dough, you’re going to pat it into baking sheet. Dip your hands in flour first to keep the dough from sticking to them, then use your fingers to spread the cookie dough in an even layer.
- The dough should touch all the edges and corners of the pan. It takes a couple of minutes but it beats all that rolling and cutting and rolling again you have to do with traditional sugar cookies, right?
- I bake my sugar cookie bars for about 15 to 18 minutes. They need more time than individual cookies, but will still look a little soft when you take them out.
- Let the bars cool completely before adding the frosting and sprinkles (if using) and cutting into bars.
- One more tip? You can make the bars as big or as small as you like? To “stretch” the recipe for a larger crowd, cut into bite sized cookie squares. Or cut them into giant bars for an extra special treat for your sugar cookie addicted friends!
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- This Pumpkin Pie Recipe is a classic! Just like this Pecan Pie recipe too! Mash them together to create Pecan Pumpkin Pie!
- Try out these No Bake Cookies that are perfect for summer! No hot oven needed!
- Creamy dreamy Banana Pudding is exactly what you need for a refreshing summertime dessert!
- Learn how to make the French classic, Macarons! My easy to follow instructions will help you be successful.
- Make bite sized treats with this delicious Sugar Cookie Bites recipe! Or if you love bar cookies, try my reader favorite Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Bars!
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Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIES:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1 drop blue food coloring I use gel, optional
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- For the cookies, beat butter and sugar for 2 minutes on medium high with an electric mixer, scraping sides down occasionally. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing until fully blended.
- Line a 15x10x1 baking sheet with parchment paper. Using floured hands, drop dough onto baking sheet and press until evenly distributed. This takes a minute or two, but it can be done!
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- For the frosting, beat butter and vanilla on high for two minutes until fluffy. Add salt, powdered sugar ad milk and beat for 3-5 minutes until fluffy and fully blended. Beat in food coloring until combined. Spread on cooled cookie bars and add sprinkles. Cut into squares and enjoy!!
Notes
- STORAGE: store frosted cookie bars in airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. OR, freeze cookies in airtight container for up to 3 months.
- FOOD COLORING: I love using gel food coloring for best results. Only a tiny bit is needed, and it doesn’t change the texture or flavor of the frosting.
- See blog post for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Easy Cookie Recipes
As for me, I’ll be over here snacking on some more of these Sugar Cookie Bars until my family comes home and eats them all up!
I just made these and they are incredible!
Thank you, Aimee, for yet another tasty and easy recipe! I love sugar cookies and so do my kids, but I didn’t want to have to go through the hassle of chilling the dough and rolling it out for cookie cutters. This bar recipe is a great shortcut! I baked mine for 18 minutes and it turned out perfectly. I didn’t have blue food coloring (or gel) so I used green food coloring – which helps us to get into the Christmas mood a little early. Thanks again!
The bake time wasn’t correct. I baked for 18 minutes and edges were brown but cookie were not fully done. I will leave mine in for 25 minutes to be fully baked. Otherwise good cookie bar.
I made these tonight for the birthday of a friend. I was a little worried they might taste like Lofthouse cookies, which my husband loves, but I think taste like sadness in cookie form. However, these babies did not disappoint, they are incredibly buttery and delicious! They are so good, I ended up eating most of the edges myself while I was trimming them up! Thanks for a great quick recipe. 😊
Delicious, soft, and easy
Made this for the family and it was a hit!
Amazing – perfect recipe! Making again for Easter.
Yum! This looks so delicious and scrumptious! I can’t wait to give this a try! So excited!
I made these last night and found that the flour measurements were off. I’m sorry to say they tasted like flour. The ratio is off with amount of sugar asked for. I will try again but with 2 1/4 cups and the same sugar amt. I hv many sugar cookie bar recipes and after looking at them noticed the measurement differences. Hence floury taste. Wanted to point this out. Sorry.
Just saw the photo for your frosted sugar cookie bars. Love bar cookies (so easy), love sugar cookies and LOVE blue frosting with sprinkles. I was hooked the moment I saw the blue frosting!!!!! Can’t wait to make these. By the way, your photographs of all your goodies are spectacular – very appealing presentations and colors. I invariably come back to your recipes to browse.
I made these for my husband last night, as he loves the Lofthouse cookies. Well, he doesn’t eat the store bought ones, but does love thick sugar cookies with frosting. I made them, frosted them, and have them in five containers in the fridge. They might last him awhile. Hoping a grandchild or two stops by to munch on them as well.
I SO want to make these cookies, but I only have 3 stick of butter. I wonder if it would make a huge difference if I used 1 stick of butter and 1 stick of margarine in the frosting?
I recently have been on the pursuit of a sugar cookie with the just right texture, and sugary sweetness like in the traditional classic sugar cookie. My search is over. This is a wonderful cookie bar. I brought to my work place and everyone loved, loved this cookie. They are so addicting, hard to say just one more to. I have tried other recipes that were good. I think these are especially yummy because it is thinner; made in a sheet cake pan verses a cake pan. Very dense, the recipe is 99%. I did add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract to batter and again to frosting. So many raves. Decorated Christmas theme with white frosting and green and red sprinkles. Thanks for this recipe!
these are so cute. i love the blue!
thank you 🙂
This is the best way to eat a sugar cookie — nice, and thick and chewy with even more frosting on top. They look delicious, Aimee!