Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Bring on the sprinkles, because you’re going to want to stop what you’re doing, head to the kitchen, and bake a pan of these simple and scrumptious Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars. They’re so much easier to make than a batch of individually frosted sugar cookies. Yet they absolutely deliver on that soft, tender frosted sugar cookie taste.
Instead of making a stiff cookie dough to make individual cookies, this dough is soft and spreadable. The dough goes straight from the mixing bowl to the baking pan, no rolling or individual shaping required. Twenty minutes later, your house will be filled with the delicious aroma of baking sugar cookies and you’ll be ready to brew a cup of tea, add the frosting and sprinkles, and get on to the best part: eating and sharing these cookies.
My daughter and I have been working on this recipe for the past few weeks. Each time we gathered together in the farmhouse kitchen to bake them, I was surprised at how simple they are to make and how delicious they taste. They’re really the very best sort of baking recipe because they’re as much of a joy to create as they are to eat.
As far as I can tell, this recipe only has one flaw. Now that I know how effortlessly I can make a pan of homemade frosted sugar cookies, I’ll be baking (and eating) them a lot more often!
Ingredients and Tools to Make Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
I like to bake this recipe in a Quarter Sheet Baking Pan, but you can use a 13 x 9 Cake Pan if you prefer. You can also double the recipe and bake it in a Half Sheet Baking Pan.
This recipe incorporates my homemade substitution for cake flour. Due to food allergies, it is difficult to find cake flour at the grocery store that is safe for our family. A few years ago, I discovered that I could easily make my own cake flour substitute using All-purpose flour and cornstarch to deliver the benefits of cake flour’s lower protein content without adding allergens.
If you would prefer to use premixed cake flour, simply use 2 full cups of cake flour instead of the All-purpose flour and cornstarch called for in the recipe. If you only have All-purpose flour on hand, you can use 2 full cups of All-purpose flour and your recipe will still taste delicious.
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Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Cookie:
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) butter , softened and at room temperature
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) cream cheese , softened and at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg , at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) butter , softened and at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar , sifted or whisked to remove clumps
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position an oven rack in the middle of your oven. Apply a thin coating of Baking Pan Release Spread, pan spray, or butter to your baking pan.
For the Cookie
- Place the softened butter and cream cheese in your mixing bowl. Using a sturdy spoon or the dough paddle/beaters of your mixer, mix until well combined. Add the sugar and mix until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, approximately 1 – 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir just until combined. The batter may break up a bit, but don’t worry. It will come together when the dry ingredients are worked in. Scrape down the bowl if necessary to gather the batter together before continuing.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Use a dry whisk to mix the dry ingredients and break up any small lumps. You can also sift the dry ingredients to achieve the same result.
- Add the dry ingredients in one addition to the mixer bowl. Mix slowly just until the dry ingredients have completely integrated into the dough. This won't take long. Take great care not to overmix the dough. Mixing develops the gluten in the flour and overmixing will encourage the dough to become tough.
- Transfer the dough to your prepared pan, spreading the dough to evenly cover the bottom surface of the pan evenly. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cookie dough has a slightly dry appearance on top. Resist the urge to overbake the cookie bar. You do not need to bake until it has taken on a golden brown appearance. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan should come out cleanly or with small crumbs attached when the bars are baked.
- Remove the pan from the oven, allowing it to cool to room temperature.
For the Frosting:
- Place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Using a spoon or your mixer, beat until the softened butter is completely smooth. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and stir to combine. The frosting should be free of any lumps and have a spreadable consistency. If needed, you can add a bit more heavy cream to achieve a consistency that will be easy to spread.
- Spread the buttercream on the surface of the cooled cookie. Decorate with sprinkles or other edible decorations if desired. Cut into squares or rectangles, serve, and enjoy!
Is it possible to bake this recipe using king Arthur’s gluten free all purpose flour?
Gluten is a food allergy that I don’t have to consider when baking. So, I don’t have personal experience to share. However, this recipe is tender and does not depend on gluten to provide texture.
I think that your favorite gluten free flour should work well. I hope that you will give it a try and let me know how they turn out for you. Happy baking!
These taste like Lofthouse cookies, but better! They are great room temperature or out of the fridge…so yummy.
I am so glad that you enjoyed them as much as we do!
I am so glad that you enjoyed them!
Simple, quick and easy. Tastes just like a sugar cookie without the work. Family and I just loved it! Thanks for sharing!!
I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed it just as much as mine does!