Sugar Cookie Bars
I made these Sugar Cookie Bars last week and LET ME TELL YOU, they are insane. The texture is soft and chewy with a little extra oomph from the added white chocolate chips and the homemade buttercream frosting is so rich and creamy and butter-y. These are PERFECT for any occasion where you need to bring a dessert, people will fight over them!
They’re also very customizable- you can add flavoring, you can add color to the frosting, sprinkles and other toppings. Think of this as a base recipe that you can do a lot with. You can also remove the white chocolate chunks out, and leave them plain or substitute them with something else.
These are Easter themed with Easter colored sprinkles, but keep this in mind for literally any occasion.
When cutting, in order to get those clean cuts like in the picture above, I cooled the dough completely after removing from the oven. Then I frosted and covered and stuck in the fridge overnight- but 1+ hours should work too.
NOTE: I used regular salted butter for these bars and frosting, and still added a pinch of salt to the cookie batter and frosting. I thought they were perfect, and I enjoy a little extra salt. If you’re like me, definitely try that out. If you’re not into added salt, then stick to the recipe below.
Enjoy!
Some Cooking Essentials:
Pyrex Glass Bowls
All Clad Measuring Cups
Kitchen Aid
Staub Baking Dishes
Offset Spatula
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Sugar Cookie Bars with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chunks or chips
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tbsp heavy cream (start with 1)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy lifting, or grease well.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar (about 2–3 minutes) until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Fold in the white chocolate chunks by hand.
- Spread dough evenly into prepared pan (it’ll be thick — use an offset spatula or damp hands).
- Bake for 20–25 minutes or until edges are just barely golden and center is set (don’t overbake!).
- Let cool completely in the pan before frosting.
- In a bowl, beat the butter and salt until creamy.
- Add in the powdered sugar on low in multiple batches, letting it incorporate between every batch while also scraping down the sides with a spatula.
- Add in vanilla and heavy cream, starting with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and mix on medium until you have a fluffy consistency. Add more heavy cream 1 teaspoon at a time if you want a fluffier and more spreadable consistency.
- Frost the completely cooled cookie bars.
- Add Easter sprinkles while the frosting is still soft.
- Chill for at least an hour for clean cuts, then slice into bars and enjoy!
