Sugar Cookie Cake Bars - Soft and chewy bars topped with decadent buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles ~ perfect for a party and makes enough for a crowd!
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So, who doesn't love sugar cookies? They're soft, they're chewy, the frosting is amazing and you can never eat just one. Right? Right. What I don't love as much is the time it takes to bake them, frost them AND decorate them.
There are only so many hours in a day and let me tell you what. . .when the holidays are approaching, there's a lot to get done. Although sitting down and frosting a cookie (or 200 of them) can be therapeutic, I'd much rather make a pan of these Sugar Cookie Cake Bars to impress my guests. . . as well as keep my sanity in check. 😉
This recipe makes a big pan of bars. I actually use a jelly roll pan. If you're looking for dimensions, a standard jelly roll pan is 12½ x 17½ by 1 inch. You can see that it's certainly enough to feed a crowd. I usually get about 30 bars out of the pan, however, it all depends on how large or small you cut your bars. I say go bigger. 😉
Texture-wise, these bars are a combination between a cookie and a cake, thus their name. Soft, chewy and topped with a sweet buttercream frosting. SO GOOD. Oh, and don't forget the sprinkles, right? Because they just make everything taste and look EVEN better (according to my 4-year-old).
The frosting is just heavenly. I sent a pan of these bars along with my hubby to share with his deer hunting crew this past weekend. Well, almost the whole pan of bars. I did squirrel away a few to keep here at the house.
A few notes about these bars. . .they don't need to be refrigerated. Also, once the frosting sets, the bars can actually be layered on top of one another for serving off of a platter. The key phrase there is, ONCE THE FROSTING SETS. . .or you may have a bit of a mess on your hands that you would need to eat clean up.
That could very well be why I make so many messes. 😉 After I frost these bars, I normally just allow the frosting to set and I cover the entire jelly roll pan with aluminum foil or cling wrap until I'm ready to cut and serve them.
These sugar cookie cake bars are an awesome addition to the holiday dessert platter. . .and they go a long way. I think I'm going to make another pan of these to take to Thanksgiving with the family this week. You should, too!
Sugar Cookie Cake Bars
Ingredients
For the Cookie Bars
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 5 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
For the Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- Nonpareils for decoration
Instructions
For the Cookie Bars
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and the sugar.
- Mix in one egg at a time.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, a little at a time. Mix well.
- Flour your hands to prevent the dough from sticking and spread on prepared jelly roll pan.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. Do not overbake or you'll end up with dry bars!
For the Frosting
- Beat butter until creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Add the powdered sugar gradually, mixing well.
- Add the milk and mix until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake bars.
- Sprinkle on some nonpareils.
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure that both the butter and eggs are at room temperature before starting. Room-temperature ingredients blend more easily, resulting in a smoother batter and better incorporation of flavors.
- Even Thickness: When spreading the dough onto the jelly roll pan, aim for an even thickness throughout. An unevenly spread dough may result in uneven baking, with some parts of the bars being undercooked and others being overcooked.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before frosting them. Applying frosting to warm bars can cause them to melt and slide off, resulting in a messy appearance. Patience is key to a neat and professional-looking finish.
Allie Solseth
These are delicious and an easy way to make a lot quickly. I like ro cut them into triangles at Christmas to resemble Christmas trees.
Sara
I love that idea!
Katrina
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made these…family gatherings, church events, kids’ parties, meals for workers, even funeral meals…they are always popular and much loved!
I use different sprinkles or toppings depending on the season or occasion.
This is one of my go to recipes for dessert and will be used forever!
Sara
That's so great to hear, Katrina! They are one of my family's favorite recipes as well!
Michelle
I have made these 2x now for each of my kids’ birthdays especially during the pandemic they’re easy to cut and individually wrap. They are truly delicious. This time I cut the frosting in half and it still was enough to cover the jelly roll pan.
Lisa Travis-Hilbert
Wonderful recipe and a nice alternative to chocolate type bars. I made these for my friend's graduation party. They turned out perfectly done per the directions. My husband (the taste tester) loved them. I might try reducing the flour just a bit next time but other than that, this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Nettie Moore
I love this recipe! Perfect for my daughters birthday party! Nettie
Sara
I hope your daughter and her friends enjoy it, Nettie!
Melanie
Do these dry out? I’d like to make them the night prior for a baby shower.
Sara
They should be just fine if you make them the night before. Just cover them loosely with plastic wrap or Press 'n Seal.
Lonnie
I just made this recipe. I was so excited to find a recipe for my big pan without having to go to a conversion calculator to enlarge the recipe! Thank you for sharing this!
I was having difficulty trying to spread the dough with floured hands-having to rinse and dry my hands several times due to they would get caked up with dough (it's me, not your suggestion, lol). I greased my hands with a little butter and it spread like a charm. Then to level it out a bit (better than my hands could do), I floured my rolling pin and used that. My oven wouldn't go to 375° (long story!). I had them in for 12 minutes at 350° and the center wasn't quite done, so I went 3 more minutes and they were done.
I didn't have decorative anything, but I added a little cinnamon to the frosting to make me feel like I did 'something' with it! I looked at it as cinnamon and sugar kinda go hand-in-hand, right?
As for taste...can't get any closer to having a sugar cookie than this. And they aren't dry at all, especially with the wonderful frosting recipe here.
Thanks again! Will make this a lot.