These Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, thick and so delicious. The flavor is exceptional and the frosting makes them top notch. No one will be able to resist these amazing treats!

What is it about a traditional sugar cookie with frosting that is so irresistible? My Sugar Cookie Bars take all the components of a traditional sugar cookie and turns it into these easy to make, amazing cookie bars! This recipe makes a whole pan so you can share with everyone around you.
SUGAR COOKIE BARS
These cookie bars will always remain in my top 5 favorite desserts. They are so soft, flavorful, and have a thick layer of sweet buttercream frosting. I have no self-control when I am left alone with them.
Not only are these delicious, but they are easier to make than the classic sugar cookie. Chilling the dough is not required, and you don’t have to scoop individual portions of dough. Instead, the dough is spread throughout a baking pan. After they’re done baking and cooled, they are topped with a generous amount of frosting, and colorful sprinkles!

INGREDIENTS FOR SUGAR COOKIE BARS
Cookie Bars
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 heaping Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or birthday cake extract
Frosting
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or birthday cake extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles
HOW TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIE BARS
Cookie Bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and combine well. Add the sour cream and vanilla; mix until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture just until combined.
Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. You can spray a little cooking spray on your hands, so the batter doesn’t stick to them. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes only! Or just until edges become slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar and milk until combined. Slowly add in the remaining two cups of powdered sugar until combined. Then add the vanilla and salt.
Optional: Drop several drops of desired color of food dye into the frosting and beat until creamy and desired color.
Frost bars with frosting and sprinkle with lots of sprinkles!

HOW MANY BARS DOES SUGAR COOKIE BARS MAKE?
This recipe yields 16 bars. You can cut each bar in half, creating 32 smaller bars that are perfect for serving at parties.
ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE FAVORITE DESSERT BARS!
No Bake Peanut Butter Bars – A creamy and irresistible dessert bar that you don’t have to bake! Peanut butter, chocolate, and Reese’s Pieces.
Apple Crumble Bars – This amazing treat is filled with a sweet apple filling with crumbly oats and a caramel drizzle.
Blackberry Bliss Bars – This may be one of my best bar recipes! Blackberry jam with milk, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips, coconut, and bits of toffee.
Golden Grahams S’mores Bars – This breakfast cereal just got a whole lot better with mini-marshmallows and milk chocolate.
Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup salted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 heaping Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or birthday cake extract (I prefer birthday cake extract)
FROSTING
- 3/4 cup salted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or birthday cake extract (I prefer birthday cake extract)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Cookie Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and combine well. Add the sour cream and vanilla or birthday cake extract; beat until combined. Slowly mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
- Press dough evenly into the bottom of the greased pan with your hands. You can spray a little cooking spray on your hands so batter doesn’t stick to them.
- Bake for 17 to 19 minutes only! Or just until edges become slightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar and milk until combined. Slowly add in the remaining two cups of powdered sugar until combined. Then add the vanilla or birthday cake extract and salt.Drop several drops of desired color of food dye into the frosting (this is optional) and mix until creamy and desired color.
- Frost bars with frosting and sprinkle with lots of sprinkles! Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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My sugar-cookie lovin’ family would flip for these, Holly! I love how simple they are to whip up and of course, how adorable they look! So much easier than baking up a ton of cookies 🙂
I totally believe I could eat the whole pan! YUM
Everyone drop what your doing and make these NOW! I made 2 batches for my daughters birthday yesterday! Talk about delicious and easy. I have never made something from scratch that tasted this good!!!!! THANK so much 🙂
Just made these! Can’t wait to try them after dinner..does the frosting harden/set with time? Should the be refrigerated? Thanks!
Carissa, yes the frosting will set but not harden. I kept mine wrapped tightly and left on the kitchen counter 🙂
These bars are just gorgeous Holly! I need to make these ASAP! Pinned 🙂
These will also be made on my day off from my temple work!! So glad I found your blog — you are awesome!
Wow, people, you have got the make these sugar cookie bars. Holly, they are amazing. We have a friend who makes some pretty good sugar cookies and I asked for the recipe. Those I served these too said to not bother getting her recipe. Yours is a keeper and I won’t be using anyone else’s!
I am trying these today! Hope they are as delicious as they look!
I just made these for my family and they were so so so good!!! I did change one thing. I did
1/2 tsp vanilla and a 1/2 tsp almond extract. The whole family loved them. 🙂 thanks for the recipe.
Yay! Glad you loved them. I love almond extract, I’ll have to try that next time! 🙂
These are very good bar cookies. Instead of frosting them I melted some chocolate chips in a sandwich bag and cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag and zig zagged melted chocolate over the bars. Thanks for the recipe.
I made these cookies, and they tasted like the Lofthouse cookies. I enjoyed them even more the next day because they became even softer. Will be making these again. Thanks!
Made the bars last night and frosted them this morning. Absolutely delicious! Can’t get much easier than this!!!
Look fantastic! I’m gonna try to make one !!
I made these for my daughter’s 12th birthday. They were the best sugar cookie bars! I wish I would have doubled the batch. 🙂 very good!!