Sugar Cookie Bars
- Total Time
- 40 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2¾cups/350 grams all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1(8-ounce/225-gram) package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
- 1large egg
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (¾ stick), at room temperature
- 2cups/245 grams confectioners’ sugar
- 1tablespoon milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
- 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract, plus more as needed
- ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
- A drop or two of gel food coloring (optional)
- Assorted sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
For the Bars
For the Frosting
Nutritional analysis per serving (20 servings)
332 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 129 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches.
- Step 2
Make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not overbake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.) Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
- Step 4
Make the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture. Add lemon juice and vanilla to taste.
- Step 5
Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.
Private Notes
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Comments
Having read some notes mentioning difficulty in spreading the batter in the pan, I sprayed an offset spatula with cooking spray and the spreading was easy and quick
The dough is thick and sticky- use the same technique to spread in the pan you would a high hydration bread. Dip your fingers in a little water and pat into the pan. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :)
I reduced the sugar by ¼ cup and added 1T almond extract to the batter. I made the frosting as directed, and it was delicious. In the future, I would leave the lemon juice out for Christmas bars, it didn’t seem seasonal. At other times of the year it would be great! (The batter is very thick and sticky, but worth the effort)
Made as directed but used a 13x17 cookie sheet, baked for exactly 25 mins (no wonder the 9x13 needs more time!) Doubled the icing recipe (did not double sugar, in fact decreased by about 1/3 cup) and replaced lemon juice and food dye with approx 4oz of pulverized freeze-dried strawberries (a 2-for-1 solution!) and topped with natural food-dye sprinkles. I wish we could add photos because it looked like pure nostalgia. My son’s 1st grade classroom was very happy indeed to celebrate his birthday with sugar cookie cake!
I was a little skeptical about these, especially as I am not a huge fan of those supermarket frosted cookies. But was totally won over by the tanginess the cream cheese adds, and I always increase the salt a bit in sweet recipes. They are so pretty and although the recipe makes a lot, they keep amazingly well in the fridge—just be sure to bring to room temperature before eating.
It was hard to judge doneness - no crumbs on the toothpick ever. I pressed the center, it was still slightly soft, and took them out at 25 minutes. I made a pale green frosting and used small pastel flower sprinkles - perfect for garden club. The cookies are tastier the second day. Lemon in the frosting adds a necessary tartness - I added more than specified. Popular with everyone!