Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
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These ooey-gooey sugar cookie bars are buttery, sweet, and perfect for saving a little time this holiday season. Soft and chewy with the perfect amount of sweet frosting on top, these bars always please a crowd with no rolling required.
Slice these bars for a cookie platter or to share with Santa, and you can of course swap out the sprinkles for any color all year long.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Sweet, Buttery and Soft Sugar Cookies– Everything you love about buttery classic sugar cookies comes together faster in this bar recipe. These cookies are soft and slightly chewy, with just the right amount of sweet and richness.
- Perfect For Sharing, Make Great Gifts!– Give these cookies as gifts to everyone you know and they will thank you! If making for cookie trays alongside other cookies, I usually cut these bars in half to make 24 mini bars. Delicious!
- No Rolling – While I love cutout sugar cookie at the holidays, it does require a lot of rolling. These cookies skip the rolling and come together a little faster but in bar form and no cookie cutters are needed for this easy recipe.
- Fun For Kids- Kids love to help stir, run the mixer and of course cover everything with sprinkles! This recipe is great for budding bakers to instill confidence in the kitchen, and is the easiest way to make frosted sugar cookies.
Ingredients For Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
For The Sugar Cookie Bar Dough
- unsalted butter softened
- white granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- red and green jimmie sprinkles mixed
For The Buttercream Frosting
- unsalted butter
- pure vanilla extract
- salt
- powdered sugar
- Additional red and green jimmies sprinkles to decorate
How To Make Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
With this recipe you’ll first mix and bake the cookie bars. Once they’ve cooled we can make the frosting recipe and add it to the cookies.
To Make The Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch by 13 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer or hand mixer until the mixture is fluffy in a large bowl, about two to three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, then add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add vanilla extract to the butter mixture, then mix all wet ingredients with an electric mixer or hand mixer.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well until all the dry ingredients are fully mixed.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients half at a time. Mix on low then medium until a dough forms after.
- Add ¼ of red and green mixed sprinkles to the dough. Mix sprinkles into the dough on medium about one minute until mixed.
- Place the cookie dough into the prepared pan. The dough will be a little sticky but still spreads easily. Use a rubber spatula or clean hands to spread the dough evenly in the pan, taking extra care with the edges and corners.
If you use regular spray cooking oil to oil the pan, but the bars are likely to stick to the pan. I recommend parchment paper without oil, or baking spray which is formulated differently from regular oi for baking. Baking spray (I use Wilton’s, but there is also Baker’s Joy and a baking spray by Pam which are popular) can usually be found in most grocery stores or in the cake decorating section of craft stores.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25-27 minutes or until the edges just start to turn a golden brown. Be careful not to overbake. The center of the dough will not move when you tilt the pan and will still be light in color. Let the bars cool for at least 20-30 minutes before lifting the bars carefully out of the pan to cool completely.
To Make The Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the softened butter with a whisk attachment or beaters for three to four minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla and salt, then again beat until well mixed.
- Add powdered sugar a little at a time, then mix the frosting first on low then on medium to whip the frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between cups of powdered sugar so the sugar is fully mixed in.
While it’s possible to cream softened butter by hand, it’s much easier to make a light and fluffy cookie if you use an electric mixer or hand mixer.
To Frost The Cookie Bars
- Once the cookies have cooled completely to the touch, frost the cookies with an even layer of buttercream.
- Sprinkle additional sprinkles on top of the frosting as desired to decorate.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the very edge of the cookie bars around the entire rectangle. This will make your cookie bars even without raggedy edges. Slice into even pieces and enjoy!
Variation Ideas
This soft holiday sugar cookie bar recipe is so good, and you can easily play around with a few things in the recipe a little to make them your own!
- Make It Candy Cane Crunch- In the frosting only add 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract to give these cookies a candy cane flavor. Top bars with broken pieces of candy cane instead of sprinkles. I don’t recommend adding peppermint extract to the cookie base as peppermint can be quite overpowering as a flavor.
- Try Almond Extract– Just a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract in the cookie dough brings out so much flavor in these cookies. Add at the same time you add vanilla.
- Add Chocolate Candies– These cookies can be made into a Sugar Cookie MM bar by adding some festive chocolate candies to the dough. Start with between 1/2 to 3/4 cup of MM’s for the dough, and then sprinkle some chocolate candies on top of the frosting at the end. You can also use other kinds of candy-coated chocolates, like Reese’s Pieces.
- Swap The Sprinkle Color – Make these sugar cookie bars for any holiday, just match the sprinkles to the day. Try swapping the green sprinkles for pink for Valentine’s day, or use just green sprinkles for St. Patrick’s Day. Or try rainbow sprinkles for the perfect everyday cookie bar.
- Change The Frosting Color– Before spreading the frosting but after mixing it you can add food coloring to make the frosting any color you like. Make sure to add food coloring a little at a time and mix in between until you get the color you prefer. For more vibrant colors I recommend using a few drops of gel food coloring.
- Make It A Cream Cheese Frosting – These cookies have a delicious buttercream frosting, but if you prefer a cream cheese frosting it’s easy to do! Simply soften four tablespoons of cream cheese, then add it after your cream the butter. Mix well until all the lumps are gone then start adding vanilla and powdered sugar. Delicious, your frosting will just be a little thicker. If you find the frosting is too soft, add an additional half cup of powdered sugar to the frosting.
How Do I Store These Cookies?
Store frosted sugar cookie bars in an airtight container for three days for best results. Keep these cookies out of direct sunlight, cool and dry on the counter.
These cookies can also be stored in the refrigerator for about four days. Watch carefully and wipe away any moisture collecting on the container, as it can spoil the cookies quicker or make them soggy.
Can I Freeze Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars?
Yes, you can freeze these cookie bars, even after they have been frosted.
The Best Way To Freeze Sugar Cookie Bars
Line a cookie sheet with either freezer paper or parchment paper. Place bars in a single layer on the pan. Add bars to the freezer and freeze overnight until they are solid. Then place the bars in a freezer-safe container with layers of freezer paper or parchment paper between them to stack.
The Best Way To Defrost Sugar Cookie Bars
Defrost bars on the counter for a few hours in a single layer, the frosting will get gooier as they come to room temperature. These bars are also tasty served cold from the fridge.
While you can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it, it gets a little trickier. You can freeze the dough and let it come to room temperature before spreading it out in the pan.
Other Christmas Treats You’ll Love
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Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies
1 hour 5 minutes
Super Easy White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
2 hours 37 minutes
Chewy Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
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Grinch Hot Chocolate (Fun Holiday Drink)
Christmas Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
These ooey-gooey soft Christmas sugar cookie bars are buttery, sweet, and perfect for the holidays or any day!
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- parchment paper
- Rubber Spatula
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
For The Sugar Cookie Bars
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cups white granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup red and green jimmie sprinkles mixed
For The Buttercream Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 12 tablespoons butter, soft4ened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Additional red and green jimmie sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
To Make The Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch by 13 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer or hand mixer until the mixture is fluffy in a large bowl, about two to three minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, then add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add vanilla extract to the butter mixture, then mix all wet ingredients with an electric mixer or hand mixer.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir well until all the dry ingredients are fully mixed.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients half at a time. Mix on low then medium until a dough forms after.
- Add ¼ of red and green mixed sprinkles to the dough. Mix sprinkles into the dough on medium about one minute until mixed.
- Place the cookie dough into the prepared pan. The dough will be a little sticky but still spreads easily.. Use a rubber spatula or clean hands to spread the dough evenly in the pan, taking extra care with the edges and corners.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25-27 minutes or until the edges just start to turn a golden brown. Be careful not to overbake. The center of the dough will not move when you tilt the pan and will still be light in color. Let the bars cool for at least 20-30 minutes before lifting the bars carefully out of the pan to cool completely.
To Make The Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the softened butter with a whisk attachment or beaters for three to four minutes, scrapping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla and salt, then again beat until well mixed
- Add powdered sugar a little at a time, then mix the frosting first on low then on medium to whip the frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between cups of powdered sugar so the sugar is fully mixed in.
To Frost The Cookie Bars
- Once the cookies have cooled completely to the touch, frost the cookies with an even layer of buttercream. Add additional sprinkles as desired to decorate.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the very edge of the cookie bars around the entire rectangle. This will make your cookie bars even without raggedy edges. Slice into even pieces and enjoy!
Notes
Post originally published on November 2021, Revised recipe July 2022
Do Not Over Bake
These cookie bars taste their best when they are a little gooey. If you overbake they can become too crispy and go from amazing cookie bars, to just ok. It’s better to under bake these cookie bars a little than to over-bake.Can I Use A Hand Mixer?
This recipe is best made using a stand mixer or by hand. The dough is thick so using a hand mixer could overwork the motor and cause the motor to burn out with this dough.My Cookie Bars Are Too Gooey!
First, let the cookie bars cool all the way before you start slicing. I know it’s really hard to have patience because these bars look really delicious! If after cooling the cookie bars are still too gooey to slice, try sliding the parchment paper with the cookie bars back onto the pan and sliding them into the refrigerator or freezer for a little bit. This can help the cookie bars to firm up a little bit more before slicing.Do I Have To Use Parchment Paper?
Technically you could skip using parchment paper and oil the pan generously with butter or cooking oil. The tricky part is cookie bars will sometimes stick to the pan if you use a butter or oil method.. With parchment paper, you can easily lift the cookies off the pan once they have cooled enough. This makes it really easy on you to have delicious cookie bars that look as beautiful as they tasteNutrition
Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
