The Ultimate Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookie Bars with Creamy Frosting

Indulge in the perfect treat: Sugar Cookie Bars that are irresistibly soft, delightfully chewy, and generously crowned with a luscious, sweet buttercream or a tangy cream cheese frosting, finished with a playful scatter of colorful sprinkles!

Why These Sugar Cookie Bars Are the Best

As a devoted fan of wonderfully chewy and soft sugar cookies, I’ve often been disappointed by sugar cookie bars that fall short. Many recipes yield bars that are bland, dry, and unpleasantly thick. This recipe is a game-changer, designed to deliver everything you crave in a perfect sugar cookie bar and more!

What sets these bars apart? They achieve that elusive perfect balance of frosting-to-bar ratio. The bars themselves are intentionally made a bit thinner than many traditional recipes, which contributes to their incredibly ultra-chewy texture, ensuring every bite is satisfying without being overwhelmingly dense. You won’t find any strong, overpowering flour flavor here; instead, you’ll taste pure, delightful sweetness.

The secret to their rich flavor and tender crumb lies in a few key elements: fully melted butter, which creates a uniquely soft base, and an extra egg yolk, adding an unparalleled richness that elevates the entire experience. Topped with a heavenly sweet vanilla buttercream and a cascade of vibrant sprinkles, these bars are a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

Beyond their exquisite taste, these sugar cookie bars are incredibly easy to prepare, making them an ideal choice for last-minute gatherings or special events. Their inherent versatility allows for endless customization with different frosting colors and sprinkles, ensuring they can be perfectly tailored to any holiday, party, or celebration you envision. Get ready to bake a batch that will disappear in minutes!

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Sugar Cookie Bars

Crafting the perfect sugar cookie bar begins with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and why:

• Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter gives you control over the salt content in your recipe. For the best texture, ensure your melted butter is cooled to room temperature before mixing. If it’s too warm, it can lead to greasy bars and an undesirable texture.
• Granulated Sugar: This provides the primary sweetness and is crucial for achieving that signature soft and chewy texture that defines these bars.
• Egg & Extra Egg Yolk: The whole egg binds the ingredients, while the additional egg yolk is a secret weapon for richness and a super chewy consistency. Don’t waste the leftover egg white! It can be used in delightful Meringue Cookies or savory Egg Wraps.
• Vanilla Extract: High-quality vanilla extract is paramount for a classic sugar cookie flavor. For a more intense vanilla profile, consider using vanilla bean paste. For a fun twist, a touch of almond extract can be added.
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent is essential for creating a light and tender crumb, preventing the bars from becoming too dense or heavy.
• Fine Sea Salt: A pinch of fine sea salt is vital for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the flavors in the bars. Be mindful of the type of salt; fine sea salt has a different salinity than table salt (see recipe notes for adjustments).
• All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of your cookie bars. Proper measurement is key! Always spoon and level your flour to avoid adding too much, which can result in dry, dense, and flavorless bars.
• Frosting: This recipe offers two fantastic options: a classic, sweet vanilla buttercream or a rich, tangy cream cheese frosting. Both complement the sugar cookie bars beautifully.

How to Make the Best Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookie Bars

Creating these delightful sugar cookie bars is straightforward and rewarding. Follow these steps for a perfect batch every time:

1. Prepare Your Baking Pan: Start by lightly greasing a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. This helps the parchment paper adhere better. Then, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on the sides. This overhang acts as handles, making it incredibly easy to lift the cooled bars out of the pan. Lightly spray the parchment paper as well.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, melt your unsalted butter. Allow it to cool to room temperature for about 5-7 minutes. This crucial step prevents the sugar from melting and keeps your bars from becoming greasy. Once cooled, whisk the butter vigorously with the granulated sugar for about 2 minutes until a smooth, well-incorporated mixture forms. Add the large egg and whisk until fully combined, then incorporate the extra egg yolk and vanilla extract, whisking until smooth and creamy.
3. Incorporate Dry Ingredients: To the wet mixture, add the baking powder and fine sea salt. Then, gradually add the all-purpose flour, making sure it’s properly spooned and leveled (see recipe notes for details). Mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can develop the gluten too much, leading to tough and dense cookie bars instead of soft and chewy ones.
4. Bake to Perfection: Using a spatula, transfer the slightly sticky dough into your prepared 9×13-inch pan. For easier handling, you can lightly spritz your hands with cooking spray before pressing the dough firmly and evenly across the bottom of the pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (162°C) for 23-28 minutes, or until the top of the bars is no longer glossy and the edges appear very lightly golden. Avoid overbaking, as this will result in dry and less flavorful bars.
5. Cool and Frost: Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature. This patience is key – frosting warm bars will cause the frosting to melt and run, ruining the texture. Once fully cooled, prepare your chosen frosting (buttercream or cream cheese) and spread it evenly over the top.

Expert Tips for Irresistible Sugar Cookie Bars

Achieving bakery-quality sugar cookie bars at home is easier than you think with these expert tips:

• Master the Baking Time: This is perhaps the most critical step for soft and chewy bars. Remove the bars from the oven as soon as the top appears set and no longer glossy, with only very light golden-brown edges. They might seem slightly underdone in the center, but they will continue to set as they cool, resulting in that perfect soft and chewy texture. Overbaking is the quickest way to dry, crumbly bars.
• Avoid Overmixing the Batter: Once you add the flour, mix until the ingredients are just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, dense bars rather than the delicate, chewy texture we’re aiming for.
• Elevate Vanilla Flavor: For an exceptional vanilla taste, consider using vanilla bean paste instead of or in addition to vanilla extract. It offers a richer, more pronounced vanilla aroma and flavor, with visible specks of vanilla bean that add an elegant touch.
• Perfect Your Frosting Consistency: For a smooth, fluffy frosting, ensure your butter is at true room temperature (soft enough to indent with a finger, but not melted). Cold butter won’t whip properly, and melted butter will result in a greasy, runny frosting that lacks volume.
• Patience is a Virtue: Cool Before Frosting: Resist the urge to frost warm bars! Warmth will melt your beautifully prepared frosting, creating a sticky mess and ruining the texture. Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature, which can take a couple of hours, before adding any frosting.
• The Power of Parchment Paper: Always line your baking pan with parchment paper, making sure to leave an overhang on the sides. This simple step makes lifting the entire slab of cooled bars out of the pan incredibly easy, preventing sticking and simplifying the cutting process. Avoid using aluminum foil or wax paper, as they don’t offer the same non-stick properties or heat distribution.
• Achieve Clean Cuts: For perfectly neat slices, especially through thick frosting, use a sharp knife. For even cleaner cuts, warm the knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and make a cut. Repeat this process for each slice, warming and drying the knife as needed. This helps the knife glide through the frosting and bars without dragging or tearing.

More Irresistible Dessert Bar Recipes to Try

If you loved these sugar cookie bars, you’re sure to enjoy these other fantastic dessert bar recipes:

• Carmelitas: Delightful chewy bars layered with oats, rich caramel, and decadent chocolate.
• 7 Layer Bars: A classic treat featuring a buttery graham cracker crust topped with seven layers of deliciousness.
• Apple Crumble Bars: Sweet and spiced apple pie flavor in bar form, generously topped with a crunchy crumble and a drizzle of salted caramel.
• Snickerdoodle Blondies: All the soft, cinnamon-sugar goodness of snickerdoodle cookies, baked into a chewy blondie, often with a hint of white chocolate.
• Cookie Bars: Simple, soft, and wonderfully gooey cookie squares that are always a crowd-pleaser.

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Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

By Chelsea Lords

These soft and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars are perfectly topped with sweet buttercream and sprinkles. For a delightful alternative, try them with a rich cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 28 minutes

Total Time: 48 minutes

Yields: 24 bars

Equipment

• 9 x 13-inch baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Cooling rack
• Large Mixing Bowls
• Whisk or Electric Mixer

Ingredients

• Cooking spray

For the Sugar Cookie Bars

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (see note 1 for table salt adjustment)
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled, see note 2)
• Optional flavorings (see note 3 for suggestions)

For the Buttercream Frosting (See Note 4 for Cream Cheese Frosting)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sprinkles (optional, for topping bars)

Instructions

1. Lightly spritz a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray to help the parchment paper stick. Line the pan with parchment paper, ensuring there’s an overhang on the sides for easy removal. Lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray as well, then set the pan aside. In a separate bowl, melt the unsalted butter in the microwave. Allow the melted butter to cool for 5–7 minutes until it reaches room temperature. This crucial step prevents the sugar from melting and ensures your cookie bars won’t be greasy. Preheat your oven to 325°F (162°C).
2. Once the butter has cooled to room temperature, add the granulated sugar to it. Vigorously whisk the sugar and butter together for about 2 minutes. It might seem like they won’t fully combine at first, but continue whisking until a smooth, uniform mixture forms. Add the whole large egg and whisk until it’s fully incorporated. Next, add the large egg yolk and vanilla extract, whisking until the mixture is smooth and well combined. If you are using any optional flavorings (see note 3 for ideas), now is the time to add them. For example, you might add 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract, or a combination of almond extract and lemon zest, or clementine zest with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom. Whisk briefly to combine these additions.
3. Add the baking powder, fine sea salt, and the spooned and leveled all-purpose flour (refer to note 2 for proper flour measuring technique) to the wet ingredients. Mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Be very careful not to overmix the batter, as excessive mixing can lead to tough and dense cookie bars. Use a spatula to transfer the dough, which will be quite sticky, into your prepared 9×13-inch pan. Lightly spritz your hands with cooking spray, then press the dough firmly and evenly into a single layer across the bottom of the pan.
4. Bake the sugar cookie bars for 23–28 minutes. The bars are done when the top is no longer glossy and the edges have turned a very light golden color. It’s essential not to overbake; otherwise, the bars will become dry and lose their soft, flavorful appeal. Immediately remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack. Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature in the pan before proceeding.
5. While the bars are cooling, prepare the buttercream frosting. In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature unsalted butter. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until it becomes completely smooth, light, and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to ensure even whipping. Add the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and fine sea salt, then beat until just combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, starting on low speed to prevent a cloud of sugar, then increase to medium speed and beat until fully combined. Once combined, increase the mixer speed to high and beat the frosting for another 3–4 minutes, or until it becomes very light, airy, and fluffy. It should visibly brighten in color. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to achieve your preferred color intensity, then beat on low speed for about 15–20 seconds to evenly distribute the color.
6. Once the sugar cookie bars have cooled completely, use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift the entire slab of bars out of the pan and place it on a cutting board or clean surface. Use a table knife or an offset spatula to spread the prepared frosting evenly over the completely cooled bars. If you’re using sprinkles, immediately sprinkle them generously over the frosting before it sets. Finally, cut the large slab into individual bars using a sharp knife. For clean cuts, wipe your knife with a warm, damp cloth between each slice. Enjoy your perfectly frosted and deliciously soft sugar cookie bars!

Recipe Notes

Note 1 (Salt Type): Fine sea salt is coarser than regular table salt and has a different level of salinity. If you are using standard table salt instead of fine sea salt, reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon to avoid making your bars too salty.

Note 2 (Measuring Flour): Proper flour measurement is crucial for the texture of these bars. To “spoon and level” flour, use a spoon to lightly scoop flour into your measuring cup until it’s overflowing. Then, use the flat back of a table knife to level off the excess flour from the top of the cup. Never press your measuring cup directly into a bag of flour, as this compacts the flour and can result in using significantly more than needed, leading to dense, dry, and flavorless cookie bars.

Note 3 (Optional Flavorings): To customize your sugar cookie bars, consider these delightful flavor variations:

• For a warm citrus note, add 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom along with 2 teaspoons of clementine zest.
• For a bright, nutty profile, include 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.
• You can also experiment with other extracts like orange or peppermint for seasonal variations.

Note 4 (Cream Cheese Frosting Option): If you prefer the tangy richness of cream cheese frosting, here is the tested recipe that works wonderfully with these bars:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Tiny pinch of salt
• Optional: Food coloring for desired hue

Instructions for Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the room-temperature cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, with no lumps. Add the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a tiny pinch of salt. Beat on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If using, add a few drops of food coloring to achieve your desired color intensity and beat briefly until the color is uniform. Spread this delightful frosting over your completely cooled sugar cookie bars.

Storage Reminders: Sugar Cookie Bars are best enjoyed within 1–2 days after preparation. Leftover bars can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer preservation, freeze unfrosted bars in a single layer until solid, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. They will last for up to 3 months. Note that freezing and thawing may slightly alter their texture and flavor.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 bar |
Calories: 186kcal |
Carbohydrates: 22g |
Protein: 2g |
Fat: 10g |
Saturated Fat: 6g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 3g |
Trans Fat: 1g |
Cholesterol: 42mg |
Sodium: 87mg |
Potassium: 19mg |
Fiber: 1g |
Sugar: 15g |
Vitamin A: 326IU |
Vitamin C: 1mg |
Calcium: 13mg |
Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Sugar Cookie Bars

• What makes these sugar cookie bars soft and chewy?
  The combination of fully melted butter (cooled to room temperature), an extra egg yolk, and careful baking time is key. Melted butter creates a tender crumb, the extra yolk adds richness and chewiness, and pulling them from the oven just as the top sets ensures they don’t dry out.
• Can I make these bars ahead of time for a party?
  Absolutely! The bars are best enjoyed within 1-2 days, making them perfect for preparing a day in advance. You can bake and frost them, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. For even longer planning, unfrosted bars can be frozen for up to 3 months (see storage notes).
• How do I prevent my frosting from melting on the bars?
  It’s crucial to let your sugar cookie bars cool completely to room temperature before applying any frosting. Even slight warmth from the bars can cause the frosting to melt and become runny.
• Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar?
  While granulated sugar is traditional for sugar cookies, using a small amount of light brown sugar can add a slightly chewier texture and a subtle caramel note. However, for the classic “sugar cookie” flavor and appearance, stick to granulated sugar.
• Why do my cookie bars taste dry or dense?
  This is often due to overbaking or using too much flour. Ensure you’re measuring your flour correctly by spooning and leveling it (not scooping directly from the bag). Also, keep a close eye on your baking time; it’s better to slightly underbake than overbake for soft, chewy results. Overmixing the dough can also lead to a tough texture.

Whether you’re baking for a special occasion, a casual get-together, or simply to satisfy a sweet craving, these soft and chewy Sugar Cookie Bars are guaranteed to be a hit. With their delightful texture, rich flavor, and versatile frosting options, they are sure to become a beloved staple in your recipe collection. Happy baking!