Thick, chewy, and smothered with vanilla frosting, these are the best sugar cookie bars I’ve tasted! They’re easy to make with simple ingredients, plus cookie butter for added flavor. There’s no need to chill, roll, or cut out the cookie dough!
If you love chocolate chip cookie bars and blondies, my frosted sugar cookie bars are definitely your next favorite potluck dessert.
Sugar cookie bars have all the flavor of a soft-baked sugar cookie, without the chilling, rolling, or cutting. Each bar is thick and chewy, like biting into a fudgy brownie crossed with a frosted sugar cookie.
My secret to the best sugar cookie bars is Biscoff cookie butter. Mixed into the dough, cookie butter adds even more flavor. It’s a secret I’m sharing with you, so your cookie bars can come out as delicious and chewy as ever.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars That’ll Knock Your Socks Off
- Less effort than actual sugar cookies. Baking cookies in bars means there’s no chilling, rolling, or cutting the dough. It’s a giant drop cookie, but dropped straight into the pan.
- Thick and chewy. We don’t mess around with thin, flimsy cookie bars. Chilling the finished cookie bars makes them easy to slice into thick squares.
- One bowl wonder. Start with the wet ingredients, stir in the dry ingredients, fill the pan, and bake.
- Any-and-all occasions. Cookie bars are made for transporting and sharing. The frosting and sprinkles are also easy to customize for different occasions. Bake a batch for holidays, birthdays, and potlucks.
Gather Your Ingredients
- Butter – Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
- Cookie Butter – I use Biscoff, but any brand will work. Adding cookie butter is also optional, but I’ll always recommend it! 😉
- White Granulated Sugar – Light brown sugar can also be used.
- Eggs – You’ll need small-sized eggs for this recipe.
- Vanilla – Real vanilla extract or vanilla paste (you can substitute them 1:1).
- Flour – I recommend all-purpose flour for the best results.
- Baking Powder – Not to be confused with baking soda.
- Frosting – You can use any frosting to decorate these cookie bars. I include an easy vanilla frosting recipe in the recipe card. All you need is softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to adjust the consistency.
Brown the Butter for These Bars
Browning the butter is optional, but it adds a whole other layer of rich, nutty flavor to these cookie bars, and it’s easy to do.
- To brown butter, heat the butter in a saucepan until it’s foaming. Continue to cook and stir as the butter turns a deep amber color. For this reason, I recommend using a light-colored pan.
- Once the butter has browned, pour it into a heatproof bowl right away so it doesn’t overcook. Let it turn back into a solid (you can speed this up by placing the browned butter in the fridge). Once it’s solid, your browned butter is ready to use as directed!
Recipe Notes
- Bake in a light-colored pan. The darker the pan, the darker the edges of the cookie bars will be.
- Don’t overbake. The key to tender, chewy sugar cookie bars is to leave them slightly underbaked. They should look pale and NOT golden. Overbaking leads to dry, crumbly bars.
- Get neat slices. Chill the frosted cookie bars for 15 minutes or so ahead of slicing. This makes neat, clean slices.
- Change the frosting. Instead of vanilla frosting, just about anything goes. Try the chocolate frosting from my Devil’s food cupcakes or the cream cheese frosting from this banana cake recipe.
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Prepare to bake. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, bottom and sides, and set aside.
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Mix the wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the unsalted butter, cookie butter, and granulated sugar for about 2-3 minutes, or until light in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
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Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined. You will have a thick dough.
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Bake. Transfer the prepared dough to the baking dish. Press with a spatula so it is evenly distributed. Make sure the top is smooth. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The cookie dough should still be pale. Set it aside to cool down completely.
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Make the frosting. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed for about 1½ to 2 minutes, or until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated, add the milk and vanilla extract. Continue beating until well combined.
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Assemble, chill, and serve. Spread the frosting over the cooled cookie base. Add sprinkles and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.
- Cookie butter is optional. I like to add cookie butter (Biscoff) for extra flavor, but it is not mandatory. You can leave it out, or use peanut butter, or any other nut butter you like.
- Brown the butter. This is optional, but you can also brown your butter for this recipe. Heat the butter in a saucepan until it’s foaming. Continue cooking and stirring until the butter turns a deep amber color. Pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl immediately and let it solidify (you can refrigerate to speed up the process), then use as directed.
- Chill the dough. Make sure to chill the cookie bars before cutting for cleaner, square cuts.
- Do not overbake the cookie base, or it will be too crumbly. The cookie dough will still look pale after baking. Do not chase golden color.
Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 620IU | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
- Prepare to bake. Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper while the oven preheats to 350ºF.
- Mix the wet ingredients first. Meanwhile, cream the softened butter with the cookie butter and sugar. One at a time, add the eggs, mixing well in between, and then add the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt. The dough will be thick.
- Fill the pan. Press the sugar cookie dough into the prepared baking dish in an even layer, and smooth out the top.
- Bake. Bake the cookie bars for 20-25 minutes at 350ºF. The dough should still be pale when it comes out of the oven. Set the cookie bars aside to cool fully before you frost them.
Frost the Bars
Once the sugar cookie bars are cooled, it’s time to add a generous layer of homemade frosting. And sprinkles. Because everything is better with sprinkles.
- Make the frosting. First, beat softened butter until it’s light and fluffy. Then, slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the milk and vanilla. Beat until the frosting is smooth and combined.
- Frost the bars. Spread a thick layer of frosting evenly over the cookie base. Decorate with sprinkles or any toppings you’d like, and then move the bars to the fridge. Chill the cookie bars for 10-15 minutes before you cut them into squares.
How to Store Cookie Bars
- Store airtight. Keep the frosted cookie bars covered in an airtight container, or wrap the pan in plastic wrap. They’ll stay fresh for 1-2 days at room temperature. After that, it’s best to refrigerate them due to the frosting.
- Freeze. If you’d like to freeze these sugar cookie bars, I’d suggest freezing before they’re frosted. Wrap the bars in a layer of plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookie bars at room temperature before you frost them.
