These sugar cookie bars are soft and chewy like your favorite sugar cookie just much easier to make. This is a perfect base recipe to transform the sugar cookie bars into other bars such as a lemon sugar cookie bar or even a peppermint sugar cookie bar.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13-inch by 9-inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang of foil over the sides for easy removal after frosting. Coat the foil in the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, using a hand electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix until combined. Set aside.
2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder
Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients; mix well until a dough has formed.
Press dough into prepared pan, spreading to the edges.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until edges start to brown and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
In large bowl, using a hand electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat butter and powdered sugar until fully combined and creamy.
2 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter
Add in the vanilla extract, salt and milk; mix until combined. NOTE: If frosting is too thick to spread, add another tablespoon of milk. Spread the frosting over the cookie bars and decorate as desired. Cut and serve.
Allow cookies to sit for 15-20 minutes until frosting has set before storing.
Notes
Expert Tips
If the dough sticks to your fingers when pressing into the pan, spray your hand or a spatula with non-stick.
When making the frosting: A hand mixer will work to beat the butter and powdered sugar, time it takes to get to a creamy stage will take longer than a stand mixer. Expect 3-5 minutes during this stage.
Variations
Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars. To make these bars with peppermint, add ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract (in addition to the vanilla) to the frosting and add ½ cup crushed peppermints to the top as a decoration.
Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars. To make these into lemon sugar cookie bars. Add 1 teaspoon lemon extract, lemon zest from 1-2 lemons to the sugar cookie bars. In the frosting, replace the milk with lemon juice.
Change up the sprinkles or color the frosting! These cookie bars as so easy to customize for any holiday or special occasion.