Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

A classic sugar cookie made easy by cutting them into bars. Frost with a generous layer of buttercream, tinted in your favorite color! Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are a family favorite!

Make bite sized treats with this delicious Sugar Cookie Bites recipe! Or if you love bar cookies, try our reader favorite Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Bars!

Stack of square frosted sugar cookie bars.

Why this Recipe Works

Sugar cookies are appropriate for just about any occasion. The holidays, a birthday, or just because they’re delicious!

But while I’m always in the mood for sugar cookies, I’m not always in the mood to do all the rolling and cutting involved in making them. Solution: Sugar Cookie Bars!

I took my favorite sugar cookie recipe and baked them in a pan as one rectangle of dough, then frosted them with a creamy, BLUE, sugar cookie frosting.

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.

Of course, I had to get sprinkles involved too!

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars: chewy sugar cookies topped with a creamy buttercream frosting!

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.
  • 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.

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!
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars: chewy sugar cookies topped with a creamy buttercream frosting!

How to Frost Cookies

Use our favorite sugar cookie frosting. Or be different and try our 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.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars: chewy sugar cookies topped with a creamy buttercream frosting!

More Easy Dessert Recipes

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

5 from 13 votes
By: Aimee
A classic sugar cookie made easy by making them into bars. Frost with a generous layer of buttercream, tinted in your favorite color! Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are a family favorite!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24 servings

Ingredients 

FOR THE COOKIES:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon 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
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 drop blue food coloring I use gel, optional
  • sprinkles optional
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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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 299kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 59mg, Sugar: 26g
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

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!

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About Aimee

Aimee is a dessert lover (specifically rice krispie treats), workout enthusiast, self-taught foodie, and recipe creator.

Learn more about Aimee.

Affiliate Disclosure:**There may be affiliate links in this post! By clicking on them, or purchasing recommended items I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting Shugary Sweets! See my disclosure policy for more info**

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Posted on February 16, 2021

Comments & Reviews

  1. Goodness, I hope your next flight experience goes more smoothly, Aimee! It’s no fun dealing with delayed flights, especially if the airport doesn’t have a Starbucks 😉 I’m flying into Dayton in a couple of months to visit family. Bummer they certainly don’t have Starbucks, but at least it’s never too crowded! 😉

  2. Oh man I’m sorry about all of the epic flight fails. :/ Glad you finally got home though! And that you had a nice time at BlogHer! Oh and as if this wasn’t apparent, DUDE THESE COOKIE BARS! Give me (please) a bowl of that frosting just on it’s own! 😉

  3. Girl, I hate flight issues. My NYC flight was delayed (ON THE TARMAC) when I was pregnant ,because of a storm rolling in. I sat there, pregnant, on a plane that wasn’t moving for TWO HOURS. When it finally got to Atlanta, I had missed my connection and was stuck overnight. They would not pay a motel, I had no food, no contact solution, nothing. My pregnant butt was stuck finding a hotel and going hungry, sleeping 4 hours in my contacts so I could catch the next flight in the morning. Not that I’m still bitter or anything.

    These bars are look so so good. Love that blue frosting!!

    1. UGh, I can’t even imagine if I had been pregnant. I have been stranded without my contacts. I wear dailies, and they seriously dry out after one day, of course my glasses were in my checked luggage. So the next day I was completely blind with a migraine. Boo. But yes, frosted bars for the win 🙂

  4. We just had a trip where all of our flights were messed up, no fun!
    Love these sugar cookie bars! The blue frosting is so fun!

  5. I am so sorry to hear about all of your travel craziness! Yuck! I’m glad you finally made it home! And, as always, these look all kinds of amazing and I’m drooling over my screen.

  6. Oh man, your travel stories are crazy!! I’m so glad you avoided the crazy delays and cancellations of this past Miami trip and you were able to make it Miami safe and sound! Looked like a ton of fun – so jealous I didn’t make it! These bars look so perfect and I love the blue frosting – they remind me of the Frozen blue; I’ve clearly watched too much of it 😉

    1. I am very happy to have made it to Miami safe and sound! One of these days we will connect 🙂

  7. Remind me never to travel with you! It’s a curse! 🙂
    But sprinkles make everything better. These look great!

  8. Oh boy! I guess you couldn’t go one trip without having travel issues. I’m glad you eventually made it home ok, but what a pain! It was so fun meeting you, Aimee! I hope we get a chance to see each other again soon.

    1. It was so fun to meet you too Ashley!!! You’re as adorable and sweet as I expected 🙂

  9. Ugh! I’m so sorry you had to go through all that, but hey..you got the royal treatment in Chicago!! These cookie bars are the perfect remedy to traveling hell.

    1. Yes, I did get some good treatment. Unfortunately it was such a short time 🙂 So great to meet you this weekend!!

  10. Oh no! So sorry you had all this trouble coming back home, Aimee!
    These bars – look fabulous! Love the frosting and sprinkles! Pinning!

  11. I cannot believe your luck! Rental cars might be a better option huh? At least you are in home and able to share these fantastic sugar cookie bars with us! Great seeing you again.

  12. Dude. omg. You do seriously have the worst luck traveling. Holy crap. I remember all the other airline sagas like it was yesterday and when i saw your IG this morning I was thinking, well I guess she took Mon. off and Tues is her first real day back…understandable. No, you were in travel hell on Monday still. So sorry!!!

    These bars look amazing. I love the color. The texture. The sprinkles. YES! pinned

    1. Yeah, I do have bad luck. LOL. It’s quite ridiculous. Thanks for pinning my cookies Averie!!!

  13. YAY! A sugar cookie recipe I don’t have to refrigerate first! (I hate the wait.) These look yummy and I can’t wait to try it.

  14. I’m so sorry you had so many hassles with trying to get home! I am jealous that you got to go to BlogHer Food, though! Maybe next year… Your sugar cookie bars look so sweet and tempting! 🙂

  15. Those bars are looking so festive, I love the color! Your flight problems were pretty horrible, fortunately you got home eventually… And it seems like the trip was worth it.

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