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Sugar Cookie Bars
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These simple Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy and sweet! They are thick, chewy and totally festive. Based off my classic Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, these bars require much less effort and are perfect for any occasion. Don’t forget to top these with frosting and sprinkles!
Sugar Cookie Bar Basics
You’re going to need simple everyday ingredients for these Sugar Cookie Bars and a little bit of your time. The result is amazing treats perfect for sharing.
Almond Extract
While I am a firm believer in always using Almond extract for any and all sugar cookies, there are people out there who strongly disagree with me. If you are one of these people, simply replace the almond extract with more vanilla extract and complete the recipe as written below.
All-Purpose Flour
Be sure to fluff the flour first before spooning into measuring cups and leveling the tops. Not fluffing the flour will mean more flour added to the dough and will make for a stiffer end product.
If you LOVE sugar cookies, check these recipes out: Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies, Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe, Classic Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookie Blossoms, and Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies.
How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars
For full details on how to make these Sugar Cookie Bars, see the recipe card down below 🙂
Preheat + Prep
Preheat oven. Line 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. (I put some parchment paper into mine to make bar removal easy, but feel free to just spray really well with nonstick.)
Make the Dough
In a large bowl, stir butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, vanilla, and almond extract and whip until fluffy. Scrape the sides and stir again briefly. Stir in remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. It won’t come together as a dough initially, but if you grab a handful, it should hold its shape.
Bake + Cool
Spread cookie dough into prepared pan and press down evenly.
Bake sugar cookie bars until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Make the Frosting
Stir softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk together until smooth and fluffy. Start by adding 3 tablespoons milk and work up from there until frosting is the desired consistency.
Feel free to add color to your frosting or switch up the sprinkles. You can make these for any event or occasion and everyone will love them!
Frost Cookie Bars, Add Sprinkles + Serve
Spread over cooled cookie bars and add sprinkles if desired. Cut into sugar cookie bars and serve.
Doubling
This sugar cookie bar recipe can easily be doubled. Such an easy recipe is perfect for parties or get-togethers.
To double, either use another 9×13 baking dish or spread the dough in a sheet pan. The cooking time in a sheet pan will be shorter so watch it while it bakes!
Make-Ahead
You can make these bars and the frosting a day in advance to help prepare for a busy day ahead of entertaining friends. Store the sugar cookie bars, covered, at room temperature, and store the frosting, covered, in the fridge. Frost before cutting and serving.
Freezing Sugar Cookie Bars
You can also freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the frozen bars to the fridge and let them sit overnight. When ready to serve, frost, cut, and enjoy.
More Cookie Bars to Try!
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Carmelitas
- Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
- S’mores Bars
- 20+ Easy Cookie Bar Recipes with few ingredients
Anyways, here’s the printable recipe card for sugar cookie bars; have a great day, friends!!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Sugar Cookie Bars
These simple Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy and sweet! Perfect for any occasion, they are thick, chewy and topped with frosting and sprinkles!
Ingredients
for the cookie bars-
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour* fluffed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
for the frosting-
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- sprinkles if desired for decoration
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, vanilla and almond extract and whip until fluffy. Scrape the sides and stir again briefly. Stir in remaining dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. It won't come together as a dough initially, but if you grab a handful, it should hold its shape.
- Spread dough into prepared pan and press down evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Frosting
- Stir all ingredients together until smooth and fluffy. Start by adding 3 tablespoons milk and work up from there until frosting is the desired consistency.
- Spread over cooled cookie bars and add sprinkles if desired. Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
*Be sure to fluff flour first before spooning into measuring cups and leveling the tops. Not fluffing the flour will mean more flour added to the dough and will make for a stiffer end product.
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 154mgPotassium: 40mgSugar: 27gVitamin A: 365IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.8mg
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these are the best and so easy! the cookie bar layer is nice and soft without being doughy. ive tried other recipes where theyre to thick or to hard. loved these were for a 9×13 pan as well. I used 1 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract in my frosting. delish!
My family loves these bars! So easy to whip up!
These bars are amazing and so easy but I should have listened to my gut and only made a 1/2 recipe of the frosting. The frosting is very sweet and a little goes a long way. Will make them again!!
Interesting how sifting the flour before measuring it out made a huge difference. We forget how much flour settles . This is an amazing recipe. Thank you for sharing
Love your recipe
I make these often. They are a favorite with my kids and coworkers. I do add an extra egg yolk to make them more moist and extra vanilla instead of almond extract because of tree nut allergies.
Great recipe. Comes out almost like shortbread for me but in a great way. I subbed a tiny bit of flour for corn starch because I love the consistency it gives. Also added a bit of salt to the frosting to make it pop (I used unsalted butter like I do in all baking). Made this twice now and the first time I didnt have any almond extract so I subbed for more vanilla. People can’t stop eating these!! Thank you
My family really enjoyed the cookies and I like making them
I’ve been looking for a good sugar cookie recipe for years. My mom, rest her soul, was a fantastic baker, she would have loved these! I did not have almond extract so I made them without it. Also I used two eggs because large eggs don’t seem as large these days. I made these twice. I would highly recommend them. The ease of not having to use cookie cutters is such a time saver.
I love your recipes and so enjoy getting them❤️
Do you have to frost them? Can they be served without it?
No, you don’t have to frost them! They are delicious by themselves for sure.
These look so good, I can’t wait to try them. I love the ease of bar cookies!
Pros: Yum! So easy and I like they aren’t super sugary (I didn’t add frosting). I used semi-soft coconut oil instead of butter and added cardamom instead of almond for the flavor I was looking for, and it’s a great variation. The came out of the pan so easily
Cons: I made these in a 8×8 and thought they’d need longer to cook. Even at baking for 20 minutes, they came out a little toasty-er than most people would like for cookies. That’s on me for not watching closer, but hopefully others don’t make the same mistake.
These were delicious! I had a 2 1/2 yr old granddaughter helper and they turned out great!
Will be making these quick and easy bars again and again. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Hello! Could I add mix-ins like fresh fruit, and during what step should I do so? Thank you so much!
Are you wanting to bake this with fruit in it or are you wanting to top it with fruit, like a fruit pizza? Like this: https://laurenslatest.com/fruit-flan/
Flour: It’s called sifting, one can buy a sifter or use a sieve.
What would the measurements be if I wanted to do them in a jelly roll pan?
Soooooooo good! They’re going fast! Only thing is that you have your prep time at an hour and a half… it took only about 30 minutes max to get these all mixed up and in the pan AND do my initial round of dishes
[…] you to Lauren’s Latest and tablespoon.com for the […]
Dear Lauren,
Your recipe turned out absolutely PERFECT…even though I did not measure ingredients accurately and used a pie dish!
I am currently newly married and living in Germany with my husband. Our kitchen is not fully stocked yet with standard baking tools and it is difficult to find perfectly equivalent baking ingredients here. It is not so fun to bake right now as every recipe I try is a real experiment given our circumstances!
Your recipe is now an absolute go-to for sugar cookie bars now! Here are the random adjustments I made:
None of the ingredients were perfectly measured: I used a coffee mug as the equivalent of 1 cup and went from there.
I did not have enough softened butter, so I actually melted a bit to speed things up!
I used a pie dish which I buttered & floured.
I added a teaspoon of baking soda (here it is called Natron).
Regardless of these changes, they turned out absolutely perfect. These bars brings me back to nostalgic primary school days where our American teachers would bring us fluffy delicious sugar cookies as snacks during the holidays! I cannot express how specific of a memory that is, and that reliving that exact mouthfeel and flavour is just so heart-warming.
Thank you Lauren for sharing this fantastic recipe! I look forward to making them again when I have better tools!
Wishing you all the best and sending our love from Germany!
I have these in the oven right now, and they smell divine! You might want to put “sifted” next to the 3 cups flour. I didn’t see that notation until everything was done as it is beneath the frosting instructions. I assume you mean sift when you say “fluff.” Anyway….I will make them another time and soft the flour. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
I did not sift the flour. I spooned it into the 1 cup, spoon by spoon, which gives it a bit of air/fluff. I am not sure what technique is needed exactly for this recipe (sifting vs. fluffing), but my bars turned out fantastic! Of course it could be dependent on the type of all purpose flour (APF) used. I am currently living in Germany and used the standard APF sold here. Hope this helps! All the best!
So yummy!!
this is my most used recipe of yours – although I do use others too!
I’m going to make these for my daughter’s preschool for Halloween! I’ve been hoarding Halloween sprinkles for a while and never have used them. Now is the time 🙂
[…] Sugar Cookie Bars | Kool-Aid Cookies […]
[…] 4th of July, friends, I made a lemon cream pie for this blessed holiday. I was going to post these sugar cookie bars today instead of on Wednesday, but thought I should post them early….for some reason. So, […]
They look so good.
I am going to made this recipe today for my kids.
Olga.
I have a cooking blog in Spanish with Google translate in many different languages.
Http://recetasolguis.blogspot.com
Hope you liked.
[…] the old scoop and bake method. (Plus, I gave all my cookie cutters away when we moved to NYC.) The sugar cookie bars are a great option if you are looking to mimic the same sort of taste but I wanted a proper cookie […]
This is my favorite of all your recipes, easy and delicious!
i didn’t see in comments so i might of missed it but on the almond flour is it important i’m making these and someone has nut allergy that would eat them.
Almond extract it says, not almond flour.
Well these are literally the tastiest and easiest EVER!! I have made them at least a dozen times, for anything and everything, and they never disappoint. The combo of almond and vanilla extract is amazing! When I take things to my husbands work, his co-workers request this ?❤
[…] if you think you wouldn’t want to try this recipe today, give my simple sugar cookie bars, my Cookies n’ Cream Brownie Bars or my Actually Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (which is the […]
[…] Bars (one of my all time favorites…I’ll probably still make these!!) OR these Simple Sugar Cookie Bars (which are thick and delicious!) I opted for a thinner, frosted AND decorated sugar cookie bar that […]
I just made these and they are so delicious!
[…] it at www.laurenslatest.com She has lots of yummy recipes that are easy to do even for a 7 year […]
I love sugar cookies and have been dying to try these!! I finally got my chance and took them to a pool party. They were a huge hit and loved by all! Thank you!!!
I did not care for these. The texture was crumbly and there was WAY too much almond flavor! Back to the drawing bord for a sugar cookie bar recipe 🙁
bar cookie
[…] *sugar cookie bar recipe adapted from Lauren’s Latest […]
Just made these! So good! I LOVE almond extract! Anyway, how long will they keep? Can I freeze them ?
This might sound like a silly question but how does one fluff the flour? Thanks in advance
Oooh those cookies look good! I want one!!
sounds yummy can you sub the almond extract for anything
When I make sugar cookies, I use lemon extract. Delicious!
I don’t have butter can you use margarine? Thank you
Mine turned out too dry. Would another egg solve this?
[…] good and a few weeks ago that resulted in these admittedly delicious Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars by Lauren’s Latest. They basically consist of sugar, topped with sugar, and decorated with rainbow […]
Is there a way to make the frosting chocolate using baking cocoa? Or something else easy to find? Would lemon flavoring work in these too?
do you need to add the almond extract?
you don’t have to, but it adds a nice flavor 🙂
I loved them frosting was excellent but mine were dry help used a glass pan what did I do wrg I did Fluff the flour….
1lb of powdered sugar for the frosting is WAY too much! it turned out sickly sweet, I wish I didn’t put so much. Now I have to do it all over again.
I made these this past week for a friend who loves my sugar cookies. I needed to cheat, as I did not have a lot of time for rolling and cutting, then, frosting. So, made these and they are the BOMB!!!!! Yes, they are and I didn’t change a thing. I had frosting leftover for some reason…maybe I didn’t spread it on as thick…so now I need to make another batch. They are delicious and so easy! I cut them in really tiny squares as my friend likes small portions. I got a gazillion little tiny squares from this. It is a keeper and a repeater for sure. They are sturdly little squares too, and think I can easily mail them to my other sugar cookie lovers. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!! No excuse to not bake from scratch when you have recipes this easy!
Just curious, do these really need the frosting to be successful? My guy doesn’t like frosting, so I was thinking I’d just sprinkle sugar on top before baking instead?
They are delicious!!! I would also take out the almond extract it Is too strong for me. I made them for a birthday and added rainbow sprinkles, but I think I will make them more often! They are great!!! Thanks
These are so easy to make. I doubled the recipe and baked in a large cookie pan/sheet. I forgot to double the frosting but I still had enough to cover entire pan. I left out the almond extract because I’m not much of a fan. They were excellent, tasted like christmas cut outs, and a HUGE hit! Thank you:)
Perfect! I was reading the comments to see if doubling them and using a sheet pan worked. Thanks 🙂
Okay, for folks like me who are domestically challenged, just how many cups does one lb. of powered sugar work out to? I know, poor English. Sorry, and thanks.
I used half a bag of a 32oz. bag….16oz. I didn’t measure but I’m guessing 3 cups?
way too much sugar if you ask me, I used 16 oz but half that would be more than enough,
I made these yesterday and they were AmaZiNg!!! It tasted like Christmas but with a lot less work. Thanks!!
I’ve made these 3 times since July 4!! Made them and took to a July 4 BBQ, made them for my kids & co-workers and then made them again for kids & co-workers!! How crazy is that!! A new favorite cookie! Have you ever tried using cookie cutters with them?
So is it just one egg? also salted or unsalted butter…hoping for a quick reply going to the store and having a part tomorrow want to make them for the grandkids
one egg and unsalted or salted butter–it doesn’t matter 🙂
Kids and grown-ups alike couldn’t keep their fingers off these on the 4th … I did use only half the icing (and it was p-l-e-n-t-y) but skip the sprinkles. I also cut them in tiny one-inch squares, slightly less decadent and the moms didn’t mind when the kids grabbed two or three. Nice work!
Good idea cutting them into smaller squares!
I made these for the 4th and thought they were good, but a little dry. I noticed in your photos/directions, you said “eggs”, but the ingredients just listed 1 egg. I want to try again but thought I might try 2 eggs next time. Do you think that might help? Thanks for the super easy recipe!
I made these last night and they were fabulous! My kids were not so wild about the almond extract. Can I leave it out or substitute it?
i can’t bake with nuts because of nut allergy so i’m going to try lemon extract tomorrow.
Add a lttile almond extract (to taste-about 1-2 tsp) to the frosting for just a little more decadence! Yum!!!
[…] other news, I made a lemon cream pie for this blessed holiday. I was going to post these sugar cookie bars today instead of on Wednesday, but thought I should post them early….for some reason. So, […]
Totally irresistible!
I am wanting to know if the bar is a “firmer crisper” cookie bar or a “softer” bar? My family likes the sugar cookie recipe that is called Deluxe and always used powdered sugar instead of granulated in the dough which made it softer. I want to try these if they are on the softer bar side.
The edges are slightly crisp but the rest of it is pretty soft.
Mine ended up like that 2
Oh my dear goodness these look a-mazing! I haven’t ever had cookie bars like this and I think my life is forever changed simply by your picture! Can’t wait to try this recipe soon 🙂
Sugar cookie bars are on my to-make list. Time to make them happen! These look fantastic! And so festive!
My FAVORITE kind of bar!
Made these today. Very good and soft and so very easy! One thing I will do different next time is leave out the almond extract. It was a bit too strong of a flavor for me. I also didn’t have sprinkles so I did red, blue, and white icing! Yum. Kiddos can help make this its so easy!
Cookie bars are always a good decision. These look wonderful!
These look very good but what is fluffing flour?? Please help! Thanks
Just stir it up to get a little air in it before measuring.
thanks so much for answering me so quickly! I only have whipped butter how much would I need to make these? Sorry for the million and one questions..!
Since one cup of butter is 8 ounces, you could weigh out 8 ounces of the whipped butter on a kitchen scale. But this will only work if it I’d really just whipped butter and not a spread with added water.
these look wonderful! perfect for this holiday weekend!!
I love your recipes and this looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!! I was wondering if you provided metric measurements for your recipes as well? Many thanks!
I’m crazy for sugar cookies. I was always the weird kid that wanted plain sugar cookies instead of chocolate chip. Love the festive decorations!
Love these, gotta make these this weekend! 🙂
OMG, YES! These are absolutely brilliant and delicious looking! Just last night I was talking to my friend about making sugar cookie bars for a party, definitely pinning for later 🙂
How do you think these would be using an almond flour? Thank you
I love sugar cookies and these look so easy I almost want to run to the kitchen and make them right now. But there is a sad butter and powdered sugar shortage in my kitchen at the moment.
Can you believe I’ve never made sugar cookie bars?? Seriously…
These are perfect for July 4th!