Skip to Content

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

Please share

These soft sugar cookie bars are topped with a fluffy layer buttercream making them a fun and easy treat. Cookie bars are so much quicker to make than individual cookies, and they taste just as good if not better. If you like Lofthouse cookies, you are going to love these delicious sugar cookie bars.

Plate with two frosted sugar cookie bars topped with white frosting and sprinkles stacked on top of each other.

If you like your sugar cookies soft and piled with frosting, these bars are for you! You don’t have to chill, roll, or cut the dough, so they are fast and easy. Bake them just until they are barely done for a soft and sumptuous texture. 

We love them topped with vanilla or chocolate buttercream and plenty of festive sprinkles. They are good enough for a party and easy enough for just because.

About the Recipe

My family has always had a thing for frosted sugar cookies. When I was a kid, we would get together with my aunts and grandma to bake and decorate cookies for the holiday.

We would spend all day rolling out cookie dough, cutting it into shapes, and decorating them with different colors of sugar before baking them. Then we graduated to using royal icing to decorate them.

Ingredients including butter, cream cheese, flour, sugar, egg, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla ready to be made into soft sugar cookie bars.

They take hours, but do you know what? My siblings always gravitated to the slice and bake sugar cookies topped with frosting and sprinkles instead.

Add to that the fact that Little Dude loves Lofthouse cookies, it seemed like having a recipe for soft sugar cookies with fluffy buttercream frosting was in order.

Rather than scooping a bunch of cookies and making them individually, baking them as bars makes them even easier. Of course they are quicker too, because there is only one trip to the oven.

I pretty quickly decided to make these cookie bars with a recipe from one of my favorite cookie experts, Big Rigs ‘n Lil’ Cookies.  Hers look so pretty with the pink frosting, but I had chocolate on the brain.

So the first time I made a batch, I topped ours with chocolate sweetened condensed milk frosting. Though most batches since then have been topped with vanilla frosting.

The best part is all you have to do is match the sprinkles to the occasion to make a festive treat. We have used colorful sprinkles for birthday treats and holiday sprinkles for Christmas.

No matter the festivity, these cookies are a hit.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There is both butter and cream cheese in the dough. This makes them really rich, soft and delicious.

You don’t have to chill the dough before you bake it. Just put it together, pat it into the pan, and bake it.

I included a buttercream recipe, but you can use any frosting you want. Add flavors or colors if you prefer.

Tips and Tricks

The hardest part of this recipe is spreading the dough in the pan. If it is sticking to your hands, moisten them a bit with water and try again.

Little Dude and I worked together to whip up the dough and made a video for you.  He also shows you his sprinkle application technique, so be sure to check that out!

We like these cookies a bit underbaked, so they sink a bit when they cool.  So sometimes we bake them a couple of minutes shy of the time in the recipe.

If you bake them the full 25 minutes, they should be baked through but maintain that soft texture. It’s really a matter of preference.

More Cookie Bar Recipes

For an extra festive spin, you can make funfetti sugar cookie bars. They are loaded with sprinkles in the cookie itself and in the funfetti buttercream.

For something different, check out the recipe for oatmeal cream pie bars. They taste a lot like Little Debbie’s but homemade in cookie bar form.

Or try making some thick gingerbread cookie bars. Topped with sprinkles, they are a really yummy treat with plenty of spice baked in.

If you tried this recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments. Hungry for more?  Be sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Plate with two frosted sugar cookie bars topped with white frosting and sprinkles stacked on top of each other.

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

Carlee
Super soft sugar cookie bars topped with fluffy frosting are a fun, easy and popular treat!
4.95 from 36 ratings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36 Servings
Calories 151 kcal

Ingredients
 

Sugar Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Buttercream

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ½ cup shortening
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons milk or cream

Instructions
 

Sugar Cookie Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 10×15" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Beat together butter, and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • Add the egg and vanilla, beating until combined.
    1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
    2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Press into parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about  23-28 minutes or until the edges just start to take on a golden color.
  • Cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream

  • Beat butter until smooth.
    ½ cup butter
  • Add shortening and mix until creamy.
    ½ cup shortening
  • Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla.
    3 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Add enough milk or cream to make it a nice spreadable consistency.
    2 Tablespoons milk
  • Spread over cooled sugar cookie bars and top with sprinkles if desired.

Notes

These sugar cookie bars are also wonderful with chocolate frosting. Of course you can use any frosting recipe you prefer.
Frosted sugar cookie bars can be stored at room temperature for up to a week as long as the frosting you use doesn’t need chilled. Freeze them for longer storage. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 97mgSugar: 11g
Loved this recipe?Please consider rating it and saving on Pinterest.

Please share

Recipe Rating




Anonymous

Sunday 20th of December 2020

Could you freeze the sugar cookie bar before putting icing on then set it out and thaw then put icing on

Carlee

Monday 21st of December 2020

Yes, that should work great!

Lewis

Thursday 17th of December 2020

What is the best way for these to keep? Can they be frozen?

Carlee

Friday 18th of December 2020

They can be frozen. Otherwise they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week assuming the frosting you use can be stored at air temperature. Enjoy!

Unknown

Wednesday 16th of December 2020

Can you make them without cream cheese

Carlee

Thursday 17th of December 2020

I haven't tried without, the cream cheese is part of what keeps them soft and chewy. I would assume you could replace the cream cheese with more butter, but the texture would be different.

Andrea Nine

Monday 14th of December 2020

A soft sugar cookie is such a great idea my friend! I love how you can really customize these with different frostings and toppings. Have a great start to your week!

Carlee

Tuesday 15th of December 2020

Thank you, Andrea!

Carlee

Monday 26th of February 2018

Thank you so much!