Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

Believe it or not, even as a professional, I sometimes find myself in a baking slump. It creeps up when I notice I’ve fallen into a routine, baking my favorites just a few too many times in a row. The baking projects begin to lose some luster, and I need to shake things up with something fun.

These sugar cookie bars are a delight from mixing to snacking. They’re fun, sweet, colorful, and simple. And when I get to try new frosting colors and add sprinkles to my heart’s content, staying in a slump is an impossibility.

These bars provide the nostalgic taste and chewy texture of the sugar cookies I grew up with, but without the work. There’s no chilling or scooping, and they’re baked in one batch. American buttercream and rainbow sprinkles make them sweet and vibrant, but I don’t have to decorate them one by one like I would with a batch of cookies.

Slump or not, I can whip up these sugar cookie bars on a whim, a weeknight, or when plans arise without warning.

Tips for Making Sugar Cookie Bars

• Use room-temperature butter, eggs, and sour cream. Soft, room-temperature butter is the perfect consistency for trapping air during mixing, making the bars tender and light. Room-temperature eggs and sour cream mix smoothly into the dough—if they’re fridge-cold, the butter could seize.
• Bake to your liking. If you like chewier sugar cookies, bake the bars for about 22 minutes, checking for doneness after 20 minutes. A few crumbs will stick to a toothpick inserted into the center. The middle may sink slightly after cooling. If you like soft, airy Lofthouse-style sugar cookies, bake the bars longer, about 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
• Cool completely before frosting. If the bars are still warm when you add the frosting, it will melt, losing its fluffy texture.
• To cut clean slices: Refrigerate the bars until the frosting is firm, about 30 minutes. Then, run a sharp chef’s knife under hot water. Wipe dry and make one slice. Repeat, cleaning and heating the knife under hot water between each slice.

Sugar Cookie Bar Variations

With these simple bars, you can easily change things up by swapping the frosting or adding a mix-in. Here are some of my favorite variations:

• Funfetti: Mix 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles into the dough.
• Peppermint: Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract to the frosting.
• Cream cheese frosting: Frost the bars with a half batch of cream cheese frosting.
• Bake in a 9×13-inch pan: For a larger batch of 20 to 24 bars, double the recipe and bake in a 9×13-inch pan for 22 to 25 minutes. For cakier bars, you may need to add a few minutes.