Description
Delicious Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars featuring a soft, buttery cookie base topped with a creamy vanilla almond buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles. Perfect for celebrations or sweet treats, these bars combine the flavors of classic sugar cookies with a rich, smooth frosting in an easy-to-cut pan format.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Bars
- 2½ cups flour (312 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ – ½ tsp salt
- 1â…“ cups sugar (267 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- ½ tsp almond extract
- Sprinkles for topping (optional)
Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened (113 g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream (more as desired)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cookie bars.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients and Incorporate Dry: Beat in the eggs, vanilla bean paste, almond extract, and softened cream cheese until fully combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until no streaks of flour remain. If desired, gently fold in sprinkles with the last bit of dry ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.
- Prepare Baking Pan and Press Dough: Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press the sticky dough evenly into the pan. To manage the stickiness, lightly spray your hands with oil or use a piece of parchment paper to press dough down smoothly.
- Bake the Cookie Bars: Bake for 17-22 minutes until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. The center may appear slightly undercooked, which is fine as the bars continue to set while cooling. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan.
- Make the Frosting: Beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, sea salt, and almond extract and mix well. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated. Finally, mix in the heavy cream, continuing to beat until the frosting is creamy and fluffy.
- Frost and Decorate: Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars. Add extra sprinkles on top if desired. Let the frosting set before slicing into bars and serving.
Notes
- Using room temperature ingredients helps to achieve a smooth batter and creamy frosting.
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the flour to avoid tough cookie bars.
- The centers might seem slightly underbaked right out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
- Sprinkles can be mixed into the dough or added on top after frosting for a festive look.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate to keep the frosting fresh longer.
