Sugar Cookie Bars are thick, soft-baked and topped with the best cream cheese frosting! Sugar cookie bars bake in a cookie sheet so there is plenty serve a crowd. Change up the frosting color and sprinkles for any event or Holiday.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword sheet pan sugar cookie bars, sugar cookie bars, sugar cookie bars with almond extract, sugar cookie bars with cream cheese frosting
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 40bars
Calories 224kcal
Author Jessica
Ingredients
sugar cookie bars
1cup(2 sticks) salted buttersoftened
2cupsgranulated sugar
4largeeggs
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
5cupsall-purpose flour
½teaspoontable salt
½teaspoonbaking soda
cream cheese frosting
1/2cup(1 stick) buttersoftened
4ozcream cheesesoftened
½teaspoonalmond extract
½teaspoonvanilla extract
4cupspowdered sugar
2tablespoonsheavy cream
food coloring & sprinkles(if wanted, optional)
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet (12"x17" or 13"x18") by spraying with cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand held mixer, cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy. This will take 2-3 minutes. It will look dry and crumbly at first but then come together and get creamy after a couple minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and stir with a whisk to combine. Add to the wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread onto the prepared cookie sheet. * The dough should spread easily but if needed, drop large spoonful's of it all over the cookie sheet and then spread it out that way.
Bake for 13-16 min, until edges are just barely light golden brown and the center looks pale & puffy. The center should not look wet at all, but it should still be very pale. Mine usually take the full 15 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Blend together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and almond extracts and beat together until combined.
Add powdered sugar and heavy cream and blend on low speed (to avoid powdered sugar going everywhere) and eventually increase the speed as needed. Spread over cooled cookie bars.* I have never used more than 2 tablespoons heavy cream. You want the frosting as thick as possible but still spreadable. I have found that 2 tablespoons is perfect. If you use a lower fat milk you will need much less milk so start at 1 tablespoon with any milk besides heavy cream.
Video
Notes
I store leftovers at room temperature on a covered plate. You can put them in the fridge but I feel like they get kind of "gummy" when they are really cold. I know there is cream cheese in the frosting but I've never had trouble with storing them at room temperature.If you don't like almond extract just substitute with additional vanilla extract. The almond extract is amazing in these bars so try it!If you use unsalted butter increase the salt to 1 teaspoon.