The Best Sugar Cookie Bars Recipes

THE BEST SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in egg and both extracts. (Almond extract is optional, but adds amazing flavor!) Mix in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly mix in flour.
• Press dough into prepared pan.
• Bake for 14-19 minutes The sides will just be getting golden and the center will look a little under done. Cool completely before frosting.
• Make the frosting: Beat butter until creamy with a hand or a stand mixer. Mix in salt. Slowly add in powdered sugar until mixture is crumbly. (It will be very crumbly if using a hand mixer, more smooth if using a stand mixer.) Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk or cream. Mix until the frosting comes together and becomes smooth, adding additional teaspoons of milk as needed for consistency. If you want your frosting to be a color, tint it now.

SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment or foil.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar for 2 minutes til very fluffy.
• Mix in eggs and vanilla.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and corn starch.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until completely incorporated. (Batter will be very thick!)
• Use a rubber spatula or spoon to spread/press dough into prepared pan in an even layer. (The batter is very thick so this will take a minute but trust me, these are worth a little elbow grease!)
• Bake in preheated oven for about 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 10x15-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Place butter and sugar into the work bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on medium-high speed until butter and sugar are light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Beat eggs into butter mixture one at a time, letting each egg blend in before adding the next. Beat in vanilla extract. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a separate bowl. Gradually beat flour mixture into moist ingredients, blending each portion in before adding more. Spread dough into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.
• Remove from pan and spread frosting over the top; cut into bars and serve.

SUGAR COOKIE BARS MADE EASY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 13x18-inch baking sheet.
• Beat white sugar and 1 cup butter together in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing after each addition. Add 2 teaspoons almond extract and vanilla extract; mix well.
• Whisk flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add to egg mixture and stir until just combined. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the cookie comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes; they won't look done. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Beat 1/2 cup butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing until combined. Add heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread frosting over cooled cookie bars.

SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches.
• Make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
• Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not overbake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.) Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
• Make the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture. Add lemon juice and vanilla to taste.
• Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.