Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Name: Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (softened); 2 cups sugar; 4 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 4 ¾ cup flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ cup butter (softened); 3 Tablespoons milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3-4 cups powdered sugar; pink food coloring; sprinkles (for topping)

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72 Comments

4.70 from 30 votes

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These easy Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, chewy and topped with homemade buttercream frosting and sprinkles - perfect for beginners.

These frosted sugar cookie bars are going to change your sugar cookie game forever.

Traditional sugar cookies require rolling out the dough, cutting out the cookies, baking, cooling, making frosting and decorating them.

That’s just way too much work for me!

These Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars have all the delicious flavor and texture of traditional sugar cookies, but with a fraction of the work.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars, you will need the following ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Bars

Butter, softened
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Flour
Salt
Baking soda

Frosting

Butter, softened
Milk
Vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
Pink food coloring
Sprinkles, for topping

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

A pan of Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars with the corner piece missing.

A stack of 3 Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars on a plate.

Preheat oven to 375℉.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg.
Mix in vanilla.
Beat in flour, salt and baking soda until well combined.
Spread and press dough onto a half sheet pan (18″x13″x1″) sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just golden brown; let cool completely.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, combine all frosting ingredients and beat until light and fluffy.
Spread frosting in an even layer on cooled cookie bars and top with sprinkles, if desired.

Storage Suggestions

If you manage to have any leftover Bars + Brownies, these can store well if prepped appropriately. Once they have cooled completely, here is how you can store it:

Counter: Store bars and brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If your kitchen is particularly warm, consider refrigerating instead to prevent them from getting too soft or melty.
Refrigerator: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Let them come to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
Freezer: To freeze, make sure bars and brownies are completely cooled and unfrosted. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (or Press & Seal) and then place in a freezer-safe bag or container. For easier portioning, wrap individual squares before freezing. Don’t forget to label with the date. They’ll stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Enjoy More Delicious Bar Recipes

There’s nothing better than an easy brownie or bar recipe. Check out our comprehensive list of brownies, bars, and blondies here

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Questions & Reviews

Lindsay says:

I love that pretty blue frosting! These look great!
Jess Wakasugi {Life's Simple Measures} says:

Whew, these look ah-mazing! And I understand what you're saying about the whole day project thing, kind of makes me stay away from them as well. But I will definitely be trying these out, they look and sound outstanding!
elizabeth says:

can you still use cookie cutters with this recipe?
Becki Jacobs says:

I love this recipe. I made them last year and I am with you. I may not ever make cutouts again. They look so pretty with the blue and sprinkles.
Ty and Whitty says:

Yummy. Thank you so much for linking up to last weeks show and share. Make sure to come back and link up this week with your latest project.

A mommy's life...with a touch of yellow
tyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com
Bronwyn says:

Oh wow! These look great! I can't wait to try them this weekend. The frosting looks devine too!
Pam says:

My husband loved these; I didn't frost them and decreased the salt to just a dash and increased the baking soda to 1 tsp. They took 20 mins to cook in my oven and they were delicious!
So this morning I decided I wanted to change them to molasses cookie bars (another hubby favorite). So I substituted 1 cup molasses for 1 cup of sugar; omitted vanilla and salt and increased baking soda to 1 tsp. and flour to 6 cups plus added 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger. Sprinkled top with sugar and baked 20 mins. Delicious!!
Now I don't have to roll out sugar or molasses cookies anymore.
Thank you for the recipe!!
Amanda B. says:

Made these and they instantly became a new family favorite. We will be making these for years to come. Thanks Camille!!
Laura says:

Yum I love sugar cookies, and am pretty sure I would LOVE those bars!
Camille says:

You are so very welcome! :) I am glad that you liked them!
Caitie Chay says:

Made these tonight, they tasted yummy. I followed the directions to a T, but the whole cookie turned out dry. I only left it in the oven for 10 minutes. Next time I'll take them out sooner. Also, I followed the icing recipe to a T and put all 4 cups of powdered sugar in and it was sooooo runny. It made the cookie bars a mess to eat because they were so runny. I would have added more sugar to it but I had just 4 cups exactly and I had already run to the store for milk. As I said, tasted excellent! My hubby and I will be snacking on these all week! Quick question, did you store them in the fridge because of the milk and butter in the icing?
atesler says:

I made these today and they were SO good. I feel ill because I ate so much. Cooked for 25 minutes and still were gooey in the middle, just perfect. Was going to makes ome for a friend but didn't know if I should refridgerate them overnight or can they sit out given the butter in the frosting? Thanks!
Lizzie says:

I made these and they were SUPER dry... I like my cookies and all baked goods for that matter to be nice and chewy..These were definitely unlike any sugar cookies I'd ever had. More on the shortbread side I'd say.

The only thing I did differently was make them in a slightly smaller cookie sheet since I didn't have a 13x18x1.

The icing was pretty good though! Be prepared to add more powdered sugar, as it was very runny with just 4 cups.
Heather says:

I've made these twice. The first time, I loved the flavor, but they were a little dry. The 2nd time I made them, I left out about 1/4 cup of flour, baked them for 15 min and they are perfect! Also, I didn't use quite as much milk in the frosting.
Alexis Curtis says:

I just finished making these-they are cooling waiting to be frosted! The top layer is a little lumpy and the icing was very runny- I even added more powdered sugar to thicken it up! I snuck a bite of cookie and it is dry not chewy! I am pretty bummed because it does not look anything like the picture! I followed the directions to a T but I must have missed something.... :(
Cami says:

My cousin found your recipe on pintrest and sent it to me. As I was checking out your blog, I realized I know 2 of the sisters. It is Cami. The seamstress from DownEast. Your blog is super fun. I am definitely going to be trying out this recipe. We love sugar cookies at my house. :)
Erica Miles says:

I getting ready to make these for a church picnic (looking for fast and simple). I just thought I'd give my two sense to the ladies who have had trouble with runny frosting and dry dough/cookies. Besides the amount of moisture in the air that also makes a difference (and sometimes altitude) people scoop flour (and powdered sugar) totally differently. I read somewhere (I think in my America's Best Recipes book) that the amount of flour between scoopers could vary up to a 1/4 C per 1 C scoop because of either looseness or packed-ness (I'm surrounded by children and my vocabulary and ability to be brief and concise are totally gone). Anyway, when I scoop flour from my bucket (I do a lot of baking and have a restaurant style food bucket with a snap-on lid) I fluff it up and scoop up the loose flour so that it mounds and give it a good couple shake back and forth so that the flour is level with the top of the cup. Anyway, this comment was $5 big but really only worth 2 cents.
Rochelle says:

Hi!
I was hoping to use this recipe for a fruit pizza! Do you know if I could roll the dough out a little thinner to adapt it for that? Thanks so much!
Rochelle
Rochelle says:

Thank you so much!! I'll give the fruit pizza one a try!!
Ginia says:

Can I double it and spread it out in the same size pan? Just wondering...
Six Sisters says:

If you double it, you would need to put it in 2 cookie sheet pans. A double batch in one pan would have a hard time cooking all the way through.
EB says:

I made a batch of these bar cookies last night with my 3-year old daughter. We had so much fun making them together and they turned out beautifully! I did not make any changes to the recipe and not only did the cookies turn out nice and chewy (I cooked them for 10 minutes), the frosting was not runny at all with 4 cups of powdered sugar. In fact, I had to add about a teaspoon more milk to the frosting to make it a little more spreadable. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Next time we are going to try the peanut butter bar cookies with chocolate frosting.
Anna says:

Wow! Made them today. We love sugar cookies but what a pain! These are FABULOUS ! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Brittany says:

Just made these for a cookout. They were def a huge hit. Even my diabetic grandfather snuck one! Replaced the 1/2 tsp of bking soda w/ 2 tsp of baking powder and used maple syrup instead of vanilla extract (because I just didn't have any haha). They were both dense (but not extra doughy) AND fluffy. Had store-bought frosting on hand so I just used that. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Alyssa says:

These look awesome. Can't wait to make them with my sister today. :)
Brianna says:

I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it turned out very thick and cake-y, not like a cookie..they were still delicious but not a sugar cookie. Any ideas why?? :-)
Cyd says:

They are different than a sugar cookie. They are a bar and thicker than a cookie.
Kimberly says:

I just made these yesterday with my son. They were OK, but I thought they turned out cake-ier than the ones in the blog post. They were more like a sugar cookie brownie, but a bit dry (maybe like a cornbread texture). Anyway, my kids and their friends didn't seem to mind much LOL. I think I'll try them again after Thanksgiving using a little less flour to see if they end up more like a cookie bar and less like a cake.
karen corey says:

I just made these cookies, they turned out great. To the comments about them being so dry. You have to measure flour right. You can't shove a cup into a flour bag and expect to get the same results. You need to have a small scoop & put that into your measuring cup then use a knife to scrap off. Again excellent recipe ladies.
Mandy says:

Just made these for a Christmas goody and used green icing. They are so yummy. Better than sugar cookies! Thanks for sharing. We have a new family favorite!
Susan Bruton says:

Can I make these bars using frozen cookie dough from store? If so, would one frozen log (16.5 oz) roll equal one of your bar recipes? Susan
Cyd says:

Hi Susan. We are not sure if the store bought cookie dough would be enough to cover the whole cookie sheet. You may need to look at the packaging and see if it gives you options in making it in a bar form. We have only followed the recipe as directed. If it wasn't enough dough, you just may need to buy 2 packages. Sorry we aren't more help.
Gabriella says:

Just made these today they were fabulous! I made the cookie bars as directed and then I just went to the store and bought pre made frosting and colored it! Thanks for posting! They are great!
Ang says:

Could I bake these in a regular cake pan? I don't have a cookie sheet that size. Thanks!
Cyd says:

You will want to find a pan that is close to the same measurements or you would need to adjust the cooking time. If the pan is smaller your bars would be thicker and need more cooking time.
JaNae Daniels says:

I made these for school forma cell report and all 30 kids loved them!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE!!!!!!!!
Mel says:

These look awesome, I'm just making sure I'm reading right that it's 5 cups of flour for one pan of bars??
Cammee says:

I'm curious why the change in flour measurement? I know it's different than what I've made tons of times and they were perfect. I'm regretting not printing the recipe! Was it 5 cups previously?
Cyd says:

Hi Cammee, we had a lot of comments on the bars being too dry, so we tried the recipe again and reduced the flour by 1/4 cup. 4 3/4 to 5 cups will work. How packed your flour is can also make a difference. These are a family favorite!!
bex says:

I have to agree with the comment that the texture is like cornbread. Didn't resemble a sugar cookie in any way. And a strange flavor.
Cyd says:

Our sugar cookie bars are thicker and dense. It's definitely different texture than your regular sugar cookie, but that's because it's a bar. Have a great week.
Isabella says:

I don't have a pan that's 13x18x1, can I use two 13x9 instead? And how long should I bake them for?
Jan says:

I accidently baked then at 350 because they went in the oven after a sheet cake. Ten minutes left them nice and soft.. a big hit!
N.M. says:

Sorry to say, but I made these and did not like them at all. The texture is not like a sugar cookie. The taste is not great either.The proportions are just way off. Maybe too many eggs. The frosting is fine but it is hard to mess up basic buttercream frosting. I would not make this recipe twice. I may throw these away. If I eat them it will just be out of guilt because I hate throwing food away.
Cyd says:

These sugar cookie bars are not as light as a sugar cookie. They are dense. They are a sugar cookie bar. We make them for so many parties and get togethers. There are never any leftovers to bring home.
Kristen N says:

I come back to these time and time again. They are so good! A tip I tried today-"flour" your hands with confectioners sugar to spread your dough out in the pan. This works so much better than non-stick spray, and is tasty too!
Cyd says:

Hi Kristen. These are one of our favorite recipes on the blog. We are huge frosting lovers and sugar cookie lovers. Thanks for taking the time to drop us a comment. Have a Merry Christmas!
Sarah says:

Turns out I have some oddly packaged butter! Challenge butter. Looks like half sticks but it’s rrally a full stick....weird
JC says:

These are killer! I have made similar recipes and was unhappy with the results but these are the best. Great way to make cookie bars for bake sales, etc.
JC says:

Suggestion for those that find them a little dry-make sure and beat the eggs and butter for 3 minutes so the mixture is very fluffy.
Kathy says:

What are the exact measurements of the pan you use to cook them in?
Cyd says:

If you scroll down to the full recipe, the pan dimensions are listed there. It's a half sheet cookie pan.
Stacey says:

I want to make these, but should I use real butter or margarine?
Cyd says:

Real butter.
Monika says:

Made this today for dessert. Can not stop eating them. So delicious!!
Christa says:

We make these 5 or 6 times a year. They work for all holiday potluck parties. Thanks for sharing yummy recipes!
Joni says:

Hi Christa, I need a little help and I saw that you made these last week! I just made a batch. Baked them at 375 for 12 minutes. They were beautiful on top but very doughy! Too doughy to eat. I live in Utah. It could be an altitude problem. My question—-How long did you bake your bars for? Thanks! Joni
Shay says:

The cookie is wonderful...the frosting is extraordinarily sweet...too sweet. Definitely recommend another icing recipe
Amber says:

I make this recipe all the time and get so many requests for it! I did have to reduce the flour a little bit in order to make them a little chewy. I also add cream cheese to the frosting and it's delicious! Definitely one of our favorites!
Momma Cyd says:

We are so glad to hear that you love the sugar cookie bars. They are a favorite!
Destinee says:

This recipe was great! I made the bars a little thicker and they weren't very dry i followed the recipe to a t. My kids even helped and they came out delicious!
Melissa Jones says:

This is one of my favorites, especially for a quick Christmas treat!
Katie says:

This is misleading to call this a sugar cookie bar recipe. Definitely not a sugar cookie in taste or texture. If you want a basic cakey textured bar then this is for you. Unfortunately, I needed that sugar cookie texture and now I’ve wasted all of these ingredients:(
Melissa says:

We loved these - I prefer to underbake them a little because that's how I like my sugar cookies and these turned out amazing after 10 minutes of cooking. Highly recommend - everyone in our family loved them.
Rachelle Cooper says:

It's a family fave! And they freeze well amd make lots! I like making extra icing to even out the bar part and then it's perfect! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Sharlyn says:

Been making these for years! So fast, easy and yummy
Cristin says:

These are delicious! Can I half the recipe to make a smaller batch?
Momma Cyd says:

Yes, you can easily cut this recipe in half.
Gayle says:

Hi, could you use sugar cookie mix for this?
Momma Cyd says:

You could use any sugar cookie dough, but this is for a half sheet pan. I'm not sure the amount of dough from a sugar cookie mix in comparison to our recipe.
Kara says:

These were delicious and made enough for a crowd and then some.
Samantha says:

Super dry recipe if you’re wanting a moist sugary sugar cookie bar then this recipe is NOT the one. Wish I would have read the reviews before making. Oh well