Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

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4.25 from 8 votes
Published: May 12, 2022Author: Camille Beckstrand
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These Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, chewy and topped with homemade buttercream frosting and sprinkles. These cookie bars are made in a sheet pan and can easily feed a crowd.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

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.

I love that I can use a sheet pan for these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars because it’s easy clean up and makes enough to feed a crowd.

These Sugar Cookie Bars are perfect to bring to a party or potluck and you can change the color of the frosting and sprinkles, depending on the time of year or holiday.

Looking for another delicious recipe? Try our Homemade Twix Bars!

The perfect thick and chewy frosted sugar cookie bars in a sheet pan
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You won’t believe how easy it is to make these Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars.

The only equipment I really use to make these is a mixing bowl, hand mixer, rubber spatula and a half sheet pan.

While your oven is preheating to 375 degrees F, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Next, beat in 4 eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg is added.

Add vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Rather than sifting the dry ingredients together, you can simply add the flour, salt and baking soda directly to the bowl at the same time and mix until well combined.

Press the dough into a half baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  The dough will be thick so, using your hands is usually the best way to do that.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bars are barely golden brown.

While the bars are cooling, make the frosting by combining all the frosting ingredients and use a hand or stand mixer to beat until light and fluffy.

freshly frosted sugar cookie bars in a sheet pan with sprinkles on top

Spread the frosting in an even layer on top of cooled sugar cookie bars and top with sprinkles, if desired.

Cut into bars and serve.

frosted sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other, cut and ready to eat.
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars cut into squares and topped with rainbow sprinkles
Serves: 24

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

4.25 from 8 votes
Thick and chewy sugar cookie bars topped with frosting and sprinkles.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 42 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Bars

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • pink food coloring
  • sprinkles for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • 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.

Notes

  • 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 257 kcal · Carbohydrates: 56 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 2 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 33 mg · Sodium: 172 mg · Potassium: 61 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 37 g · Vitamin A: 73 IU · Calcium: 28 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Half Sheet Pan
  • Mixing Bowl

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

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  1. Lindsay says:
    November 15, 2011
    I love that pretty blue frosting! These look great!
    Reply
  2. Jess Wakasugi {Life's Simple Measures} says:
    November 15, 2011
    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!
    Reply
  3. elizabeth says:
    November 15, 2011
    can you still use cookie cutters with this recipe?
    Reply
  4. Becki Jacobs says:
    November 15, 2011
    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.
    Reply
  5. Ty and Whitty says:
    November 21, 2011
    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
    Reply
  6. Bronwyn says:
    November 22, 2011
    Oh wow! These look great! I can't wait to try them this weekend. The frosting looks devine too!
    Reply
  7. Pam says:
    December 29, 2011
    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!!
    Reply
  8. Amanda B. says:
    January 29, 2012
    Made these and they instantly became a new family favorite. We will be making these for years to come. Thanks Camille!!
    Reply
    • Camille says:
      February 2, 2012
      You are so very welcome! :) I am glad that you liked them!
      Reply
  9. Laura says:
    January 31, 2012
    Yum I love sugar cookies, and am pretty sure I would LOVE those bars!
    Reply
  10. Caitie Chay says:
    February 4, 2012
    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?
    Reply
  11. atesler says:
    February 27, 2012
    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!
    Reply
  12. Lizzie says:
    March 12, 2012
    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.
    Reply
  13. Heather says:
    April 3, 2012
    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.
    Reply
  14. Alexis Curtis says:
    August 15, 2012
    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.... :(
    Reply
  15. Cami says:
    August 16, 2012
    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. :)
    Reply
  16. Erica Miles says:
    February 16, 2013
    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.
    Reply
  17. Rochelle says:
    March 15, 2013
    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
    Reply
    • Rochelle says:
      March 15, 2013
      Thank you so much!! I'll give the fruit pizza one a try!!
      Reply
  18. Ginia says:
    March 16, 2013
    Can I double it and spread it out in the same size pan? Just wondering...
    Reply
    • Six Sisters says:
      March 16, 2013
      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.
      Reply
  19. EB says:
    April 5, 2013
    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.
    Reply
  20. Anna says:
    June 25, 2013
    Wow! Made them today. We love sugar cookies but what a pain! These are FABULOUS ! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
    Reply
  21. Brittany says:
    July 7, 2013
    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!!
    Reply
  22. Alyssa says:
    July 16, 2013
    These look awesome. Can't wait to make them with my sister today. :)
    Reply
  23. Brianna says:
    November 17, 2013
    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?? :-)
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      November 18, 2013
      They are different than a sugar cookie. They are a bar and thicker than a cookie.
      Reply
    • Kimberly says:
      November 22, 2013
      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.
      Reply
  24. karen corey says:
    November 26, 2013
    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.
    Reply
  25. Mandy says:
    December 22, 2013
    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!
    Reply
  26. Susan Bruton says:
    March 5, 2014
    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
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      March 6, 2014
      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.
      Reply
  27. Gabriella says:
    March 23, 2014
    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!
    Reply
  28. Ang says:
    December 7, 2014
    Could I bake these in a regular cake pan? I don't have a cookie sheet that size. Thanks!
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      December 15, 2014
      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.
      Reply
  29. JaNae Daniels says:
    January 19, 2015
    I made these for school forma cell report and all 30 kids loved them!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE!!!!!!!!
    Reply
  30. Mel says:
    February 12, 2015
    These look awesome, I'm just making sure I'm reading right that it's 5 cups of flour for one pan of bars??
    Reply
  31. Cammee says:
    May 15, 2015
    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?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      May 15, 2015
      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!!
      Reply
  32. bex says:
    February 28, 2016
    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.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 29, 2016
      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.
      Reply
  33. Isabella says:
    March 31, 2016
    I don't have a pan that's 13x18x1, can I use two 13x9 instead? And how long should I bake them for?
    Reply
  34. Jan says:
    May 29, 2016
    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!
    Reply
  35. N.M. says:
    November 11, 2016
    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.
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      November 14, 2016
      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.
      Reply
  36. Kristen N says:
    December 1, 2017
    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!
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      December 4, 2017
      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!
      Reply
  37. Sarah says:
    January 28, 2018
    Turns out I have some oddly packaged butter! Challenge butter. Looks like half sticks but it’s rrally a full stick....weird
    Reply
  38. JC says:
    February 9, 2018
    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.
    Reply
  39. JC says:
    February 9, 2018
    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.
    Reply
  40. Kathy says:
    February 7, 2019
    What are the exact measurements of the pan you use to cook them in?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      February 13, 2019
      If you scroll down to the full recipe, the pan dimensions are listed there. It's a half sheet cookie pan.
      Reply
  41. Stacey says:
    April 18, 2019
    I want to make these, but should I use real butter or margarine?
    Reply
    • Cyd says:
      April 26, 2019
      Real butter.
      Reply
  42. Monika says:
    May 10, 2020
    Made this today for dessert. Can not stop eating them. So delicious!!
    Reply
  43. Christa says:
    July 2, 2020
    We make these 5 or 6 times a year. They work for all holiday potluck parties. Thanks for sharing yummy recipes!
    Reply
    • Joni says:
      July 9, 2020
      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
      Reply
  44. Shay says:
    October 28, 2020
    The cookie is wonderful...the frosting is extraordinarily sweet...too sweet. Definitely recommend another icing recipe

    3 stars

    Reply
  45. Amber says:
    November 1, 2020
    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!

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Momma Cyd says:
      November 11, 2020
      We are so glad to hear that you love the sugar cookie bars. They are a favorite!
      Reply
  46. Destinee says:
    November 21, 2020
    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!

    5 stars

    Reply
  47. Melissa Jones says:
    December 20, 2020
    This is one of my favorites, especially for a quick Christmas treat!

    5 stars

    Reply
  48. Katie says:
    February 9, 2022
    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:(

    1 star

    Reply
  49. Melissa says:
    March 29, 2022
    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.

    5 stars

    Reply
  50. Rachelle Cooper says:
    April 12, 2022
    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!

    5 stars

    Reply
  51. Sharlyn says:
    May 13, 2022
    Been making these for years! So fast, easy and yummy

    5 stars

    Reply
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