These Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and so good! They taste better than the popular store-bought frosted sugar cookies. They’re easy to make, and this recipe makes a ton!

These cookie bars cost around $9.17 per cookie. They make twenty-four servings for about $0.38 per serving.

Cookie bars are a delicious treat. For another option, try my Peanut Butter Cookie Bars.

An overhead picture of a pan full of sugar cookie bars.

This sugar cookie bars recipe produces the same great taste and chewy-soft texture as the ones from the grocery store. I LOVE that these sugar cookie bars can be customizable for any party, occasion, or holiday. How cute would these be for Easter Sunday?! Or Christmas, or glitzed up with edible glitter for New Year’s?!

I love making sugar cookie bars because no chilling time, rolling, or cutting is involved. They are a total time saver when you have a fix for sugar cookies.

The base is thick and chewy, with sweet frosting on top. This recipe for Sugar Cookie Bars is the BEST, and you should save it for making it again and again.

A spatula picking up a Sugar Cookie Bar out of a rimmed baking sheet.

Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.38

Recipe Cost: $9.17

  • 2 cups unsalted butter – $3.52
  • 2 cups granulated sugar – 0.34
  • 4 large eggs – $0.92
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp vanilla extract – $2.71
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour – $0.45
  • 1 teaspoon salt – $0.01
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda – $0.01
  • 4 cups powdered sugar – $1.16
  • 5 Tablespoons milk – $0.05

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

An overhead picture of all of the ingredients needed to make this recipe.

How To Make Sugar Cookie Bars

  1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 13×18-inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. 
  2. Next, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda using a medium bowl. 
  3. In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth. 
  4. Mix in the eggs one at a time. 
  5. Add in the vanilla and lemon zest. 
  6. Mix in the dry ingredients. 
  7. Then evenly spread the cookie dough into the baking sheet. 
  8. Bake for ten to fifteen minutes until light golden brown. 
  9. While the cookie bars cool, beat the butter until smooth. 
  10. Mix in the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar until smooth. 
  11. Mix the milk and food coloring into the frosting and then spread the frosting over the cookie bars.
  12. To finish, cover the bars with sprinkles and cut them into bars before serving. 

***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below. 

A picture collage showing how to make this recipe.

Recipe Variations

  • You can use any color of food coloring to color the frosting. That way, they’re easy to customize for any holiday or party theme. The same goes for the sprinkles. You can easily change them up for any occasion.
  • If you don’t like lemon, then leave the lemon zest out.
  • At Christmas time, I like to add ½ teaspoon of peppermint or almond extract to the cookie dough.

Storage Tips

SERVE AND STORE: These sugar cookie bars will keep, in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. Just bring them to room temperature before serving.

FREEZE: Once the icing is dry, wrap each cookie bar in 2 layers of plastic wrap. Then, place the bars in either a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. Stored this way, the cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

THAW: Thaw cookie at room temperature for about an hour before serving.

A pan full of the finished Sugar Cookie Bars recipe.

Recipe FAQs

How long should cookie bars cool?

Allow about an hour for the cookie bars to cool completely before frosting. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack while cooling.

Why are my cookie bars dry?

Typically, the culprit is not enough fat. If the measurements for the butter are off, then the cookie bars could be dry. Always measure twice before mixing! Also, make sure you’re measuring your flour correctly. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and then level it off.

How do you cut bars cleanly?

Make sure you are using a knife that is not dull. It is much easier to cut with a sharp knife. Start at one end of the pan and firmly press down as you gently drag the blade towards you. Next, wipe the knife with a damp cloth and repeat the process until you have cut the bars into squares.

Four of the finished Sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other on a white plate.

More Cookies

A close up picture of a pan full of this Sugar Cookie Bars recipe.
4.38 from 8 votes

Sugar Cookie Bars

Recipe Cost $ $9.17
Serving Cost $ $0.38
Prep Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
24 people
These Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and so good! They taste better than the popular store-bought frosted sugar cookies.

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • mixing bowl
  • stand mixer
  • wire rack
  • offset spatula
  • rainbow sprinkles OR rainbow nonpareils

Ingredients
 
 

COOKIE BARS:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon zest optional
  • 5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

FROSTING:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 5 Tablespoons milk
  • pink food coloring optional
  • sprinkles or rainbow nonpareils (or both!)

Instructions

PREP OVEN AND PAN:

  • Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Spray a 13 x 18″ rimmed baking sheet (a standard-sized cookie sheet) with nonstick cooking spray.

MAKE COOKIE DOUGH:

  • Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Mix in vanilla and lemon zest (if using).
  • Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and pulse on low until just combined and no flour pockets remain.

BAKE AND COOL COOKIE BARS:

  • Transfer cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet and smooth it into an even layer.
  • Bake 10-15 minutes until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Move the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

MAKE FROSTING:

  • Add butter to a clean bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute.
  • Add vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar and pulse on low until blended and smooth, 1-2 minutes.
  • Pour in milk and mix until smooth and combined.
  • Add food coloring and mix until the desired color is reached.

TO FINISH:

  • Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars in the pan.
  • Cover evenly with sprinkles and cut into bars.

Notes

  • When I made these I cut them into 24 large bars and they can easily be cut into 48 bars and still be decent-sized.
  • These would be great for holidays, potlucks, parties, and bake sales! Just tint the frosting to the cold of the holiday/party/school/event, etc!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 516IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

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Recipe Rating




21 Comments

  1. Oh my I have to try these out =) Look awesome!

  2. I made these for my co-workers for nurses week but they are so good I just might eat them all myself! I was surprised that they are just like those “darn sugar cookies”. Amazing!

    1. Chelsea, I am SO glad you loved the bars! And they are SO dangerous to have on hand…

  3. Just made these with green frosting and Xmas sprinkles..cut them into squares and then triangles… probably the BEST sugar cookie I’ve come across. The frosting is the best and it will be my go-to frosting from here on ….! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Yay! So glad you like them. Merry Christmas. 🙂

  4. christina p says:

    I will have to try these cookies. I am not in the mood for cookie cutter cookies, so these would be perfect! Thanks for the recipe!

  5. These look so yummy. Thank you for sharing with us.

  6. katrina c. says:

    Oh yes… I must make these! I too an addiction to those soft cookies. I’d love to try making them on my own! Thanks for the recipe!

  7. alicia szemon says:

    I am obsessed with the sugar cookies at the store but these look even better!!! I am going to make these asap!

  8. alicia szemon says:

    I am obsessed with the sugar cookies from the store but these look even better! I am going to make these asap!!!

    1. Make sure you bring some to the neighbors…this recipe makes a ton! Enjoy!

  9. Nicole Godard says:

    These are awesome! I haven’t even iced them yet and they are sooo good. I will make these whenever I’m craving a sugar cookie. I had a little trouble spreading the dough in the pan, so I used a rolling pin to smooth the dough out. Perfect! Thanks for the recipe!

    1. You’re so welcome, enjoy! 🙂

  10. How would you recommend storing these? In the fridge? Thanks

    1. I would say at room temperature for up to 3 days then in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to another 3 days. Anything beyond that and they will have probably dried out.

  11. Elizabeth says:

    I made these to take to a church event. Really good recipe! However, As I made the frosting I wish I would’ve tasted before putting on bars because it’s way too much butter. All my other buttercream frostings call for 1/2 stick per 4 cups powdered sugar. They still taste great but next time I will only use half the butter.

    1. Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for stopping by!

  12. These sugar cookie bars were delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and I will definitely be making them again over the holidays!

  13. My kids really loved these treats! Really good!

  14. What a fun and delicious recipe! I bet these would be perfect for a Birthday Party or Shower!