Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

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Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars are perfectly, simple, delicious, traditional sugar cookies transformed into soft, thick sugar cookie bars frosted with a cherry buttercream frosting! These cookie bars will knock your socks off! 

How cute are these for the celebrating? We included it in our 30 Mother’s Day Desserts for Mom!

sugar cookie bars

Love it these Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy!

You don’t have to do all the extras like chilling, rolling, cutting, cleaning the dough mess on the counters!  How does that grab ya?

sugar cookie bars

Why These Soft Sugar Cookie Bars are so soft, buttery, and delicious! 

Underbaking is always better than overbaking when it comes to cookie bars!  By underbaking just a tad, you will be assured of moist, delicious bars.  Not dry and crumbly cookie bars. When they are overbaked, they lose a lot of the buttery flavor as well.  

Then, I could not resist frosting them!  I frosted them with a cherry buttercream! Soooo yummy!  Not into cherry, no worries!  You can frost them without adding the cherry extract and just make them with vanilla or lemon extract

sugar cookie bars

Ingredients You Need

  • butter, softened
  • granulated sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • salt

Cherry Buttercream Frosting

  • butter, softened
  • confectioner’s sugar sifted
  • salt
  • cherry extract or vanilla extract (can also use maraschino cherry juice)
  • almond milk or cream
  • pink food gel, optional
  • sprinkles

sugar cookie bars recipe

How to Make Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

 Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking pan spraying with non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, using mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue beating until well combined.
  4. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
  5. Press the sugar cookie mixture into the pan, spreading out evenly then bake for 12-15 minutes and do not over-bake. Test at 12 minutes to check for doneness. The center of the cookies will look under baked.
  6. Let the bars cool completely before frosting.

Cherry Buttercream Frosting

  1. Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. 
  2. Add in the powdered sugar ½ cup at time incorporating the powdered sugar into the butter mixture.
  3. If the mixture has trouble coming together, add a drop or two of milk while mixing a medium-high speed.
  4. Add in the cherry or vanilla extract, salt and mix.
  5. Add the milk or cream and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired.
  6. Add sprinkles for decorating.

If you want a smaller amount of bars, just halve the recipe and make it in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan.  

Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars recipe

Storing Sugar Cookie Bars

When storing cookie bars, the best way to maintain freshness is to keep them in the pan you baked them in.  Place leftovers in air-tight storage container for 3-4 days.

Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

These frosted cookie bars are cute for any time of the year for any special event and birthdays for sure! 

Love Sugar Cookies?  Sweet!  I’ve Got Some More Here!

Craving chocolate?  You’ll LOVE these popular Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies and these Sheet Pan Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars !  Give them a try!

Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

Frosted Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

Perfectly, simple, delicious, traditional sugar cookies transformed into soft, thick sugar cookie bars frosted with a cherry buttercream frosting that will knock your socks off!
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 20 Servings
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, softened
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Cherry Buttercream Frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
  • 3 - 4 cups confectioner’s sugar sifted
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 teaspoons cherry extract or vanilla extract (can also use maraschino cherry juice 2-3 tablespoons
  • 2-3 tablespoons almond milk or cream
  • 1-2 drops pink food gel
  • sprinkles

Instructions
 

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9X13-inch baking pan spraying with non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, using mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and continue beating until well combined.
  • Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
  • Press the sugar cookie mixture into the pan, spreading out evenly then bake for 12-15 minutes and do not over-bake. Test at 12 minutes to check for doneness. The center of the cookies will look under baked.
  • Let the bars cool completely before frosting.

Cherry Buttercream Frosting

  • Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. 
  • Add in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at time incorporating the powdered sugar into the butter mixture.
  • If the mixture has trouble coming together, add a drop or two of milk while mixing a medium-high speed.
  • Add in the cherry extract, salt and mix.
  • Add the milk or cream and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add food coloring, if desired.
  • Add sprinkles for decorating.
Keyword birthday, cherry buttercream frosting, cookie bars, cookies, frosting, sugar cookies, valentine's day
Tried This Recipe?Let us know how it was by commenting below!

11 Comments

  1. These look so yummy and festive! Perfect for any celebration just by changing sprinkles! I love it! Thanks, Kim!

  2. Oh yes the girls would think those are princess cookies. Of course its hot in FL you are there 😉
    Miss you too- love your face!

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