• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Bitz & Giggles
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Holidays
  • DIY & Cleaning
  • Shop
  • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Holidays
    • DIY & Cleaning
    • Shop
    • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Sugar Cookie Cake Bars

    Posted: Nov 23, 2015 · Updated: May 22, 2024 by Sara · This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    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!

    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!

    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!

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email below & we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!


    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. 😉

    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!

    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. 😉

    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!

    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).

    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!

    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.

    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!

    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 - Soft and chewy bars topped with decadent buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles ~ perfect for a party and makes enough for a crowd!

    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!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
    Servings: 16 bars
    Calories: 201kcal
    Author: Sara
    adjust servings: 16 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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @BitzNGiggles or tag #bitzngiggles!
    16010 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kay

      July 09, 2017 at 5:03 pm

      Have u ever froze the bars and frosted later before serving?

      Reply
      • Sara

        July 16, 2017 at 9:46 pm

        I haven't tried freezing them, Kay. If you do, let me know how it worked for you!

        Reply
        • Susan

          December 13, 2023 at 3:17 pm

          Has anyone tried freezing these? I think they would be fine, but was just wondering.

          Reply
          • Sara

            December 15, 2023 at 6:50 am

            Yes, these freeze very well!

            Reply
    2. Mary

      July 02, 2017 at 5:48 pm

      Your recipe says to press cookie dough mixture into a "prepared" pan. But no instructions on what "prepared" means. Is that greased and floured or just greased? Thanks

      Reply
      • Sara

        July 04, 2017 at 4:57 pm

        Just greased is fine!

        Reply
    3. Nancy

      June 20, 2017 at 5:59 am

      5 stars
      I made these yesterday and they are wonderful! Now I need to give them away so I don't eat the whole tray myself!

      Reply
    4. Annie

      May 11, 2017 at 6:30 am

      Looking forward to making these today! It says to spread into preparers pan - do you grease and flour, or just grease?

      Reply
      • Sara

        May 11, 2017 at 9:08 pm

        Just grease the pan and then put a little flour on your hands so it's easier to spread the dough out in the pan.

        Reply
    5. Amy

      February 18, 2017 at 5:33 pm

      5 stars
      I'm making this recipe again - have lost track of how many times - for our wrestling guys. I make it for the coaches room, the end of season party, any time they ask me to! They are always eaten before regular food and they are requested every time!
      Thank you for the recipe; it is much loved and enjoyed!!!!!

      Reply
      • Sara

        February 20, 2017 at 9:32 pm

        Oh, I'm so glad to hear that, Amy! Love that the wrestlers are enjoying them! Hope you're all having a great season!

        Reply
    6. Sabrina

      December 06, 2016 at 12:46 pm

      What size pan did you use?

      Reply
      • Sara

        December 10, 2016 at 10:07 pm

        I used a jelly roll pan. Here are the measurements: 12½ x 17½ by 1 inch

        Reply
    7. amanda @ fake ginger

      November 25, 2015 at 7:20 am

      I think I'm gonna make these for tomorrow for the people who aren't into pie. Who wouldn't love these?! They look perfect!

      Reply
    8. Justine | Cooking and Beer

      November 24, 2015 at 8:01 pm

      I love that this recipe makes such a big batch! I could eat like 12 of these! Pinned!

      Reply
    9. Erin @ Texanerin Baking

      November 24, 2015 at 11:18 am

      These remind me of treats from the grocery store bakery. And that's a compliment! 😉 They look SO delicious and that frosting... yum! Good thing it makes a big batch. 🙂

      Reply
      • Sara

        November 24, 2015 at 3:09 pm

        Aww, thank you, Erin!

        Reply
    10. Jenny | Honey and Birch

      November 24, 2015 at 8:50 am

      Yum, I love bar cookies and bars - can't wait to try this!

      Reply
    11. Jo-Anne

      November 23, 2015 at 5:39 pm

      Nice I like the look of these

      Reply
      • Sara

        November 24, 2015 at 8:22 am

        Thank you, Jo-Anne! I hope you try them!

        Reply
    12. Megan Keno

      November 23, 2015 at 5:10 pm

      The holidays are such a busy time... These cookies cake bars seem so much more time efficient!

      Reply
      • Sara

        November 24, 2015 at 8:22 am

        You said it, Megan! Baking is just ONE of the things on the to-do list around the holidays!

        Reply
    13. Beth

      November 23, 2015 at 10:23 am

      Oh yes! Been there, frosting like 100 cookies.. this seems way more manageable!

      Reply
      • Sara

        November 24, 2015 at 8:21 am

        It is much easier, especially for a larger group!

        Reply
    14. Jenn @ Peas and Crayons

      November 23, 2015 at 8:32 am

      Sara these are fantastic! I love slice and serve desserts! <3

      Reply
      • Sara

        November 24, 2015 at 8:21 am

        Thanks, Jenn! They're super easy to make and the family loves them!

        Reply
    15. Faith (An Edible Mosaic)

      November 23, 2015 at 8:31 am

      These are so pretty! I love sugar cookies and I bet these would be fun to dress up for the holidays!

      Reply
      • Sara

        November 24, 2015 at 8:20 am

        That's the best part, Faith! They can be dressed up for ANY occasion!

        Reply
    Newer Comments »
    5 from 7 votes

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Sara Zenner, blogger at Bitz N Giggles

    welcome!

    Hey, I’m Sara!

     Born and raised in Wisconsin, where family and fun are at the heart of it all - I inherited a deep appreciation for home cooking and family traditions. I’m all about quick and easy recipes, tidying up, and laid back “up north” living.

    Read more!

    Popular Recipes

    • A piece of Poor Man’s Lobster showcasing the flaky, buttery cod fillet served with broccoli and lemon.
      Poor Man's Lobster
    • A green cocktail garnished with pineapple and a cherry.
      Green Hawaiian Cocktail
    • California Blend Vegetable Casserole
    • Air fryer corn on the cob on serving dish with butter.
      Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
    • No Bake Cherry Dump Cake - An easy, no-bake cherry trifle dessert with layers of angel food cake, sour cream, pudding, cherry pie filling and whipped topping.
      No Bake Cherry Dump Cake
    • Pouring caramel sauce over salted caramel kentucky butter cake.
      Salted Caramel Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe

    Thanksgiving Recipes

    • A heaping plate filled with colorful veggie casserole.
      Veggie Casserole Recipe
    • Piece of apple pie with ice cream on a white plate.
      Sheet Pan Apple Pie
    • A bowl of soup filled with carrots, potatoes and turkey
      Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe
    • side view of a piece of pumpkin pie
      Praline Pumpkin Pie
    • piece of pumpkin poke cake garnished with cinnamon
      Pumpkin Poke Cake
    • stack of stuffing balls on a white platter
      Thanksgiving Stuffing Balls

    Footer

    Featured on:

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy
    • ↑ back to top
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.