Description
Delightfully soft and buttery frosted sugar cookie bars featuring a creamy almond-vanilla frosting and festive sprinkles. These bars are easy to make with a tender cookie base enriched with cream cheese and topped with a luscious homemade buttercream, perfect for celebrations or a sweet treat any time.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Bars:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (312 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ – ½ tsp salt
- 1â…“ cups granulated sugar (267 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- Sprinkles (optional, for mixing in dough)
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (113 g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (more as desired)
- Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cookie bars.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Add Eggs and Flavorings: Beat in the eggs, vanilla bean paste, almond extract, and softened cream cheese until fully incorporated and smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the flour disappears and no streaks remain. If desired, fold sprinkles in at this stage, being careful not to overmix.
- Prepare Baking Pan: Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray your hands with oil or use parchment to press the sticky cookie dough evenly into the pan.
- Bake the Cookie Bars: Bake in the preheated oven for 17 to 22 minutes, or until the edges start to turn a light golden brown and the center looks just set but may still be slightly underdone. This will allow the center to finish cooking as it cools.
- Cool Completely: Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely in the pan to set properly before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: Beat the softened butter in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla bean paste, almond extract, and a pinch of sea salt, mixing until combined. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, then add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time while beating until the frosting is fluffy and spreadable.
- Frost and Decorate: Spread the buttercream frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars and sprinkle additional sprinkles on top. Allow the frosting to set before slicing into bars.
Notes
- For easier pressing of sticky dough, lightly oil your hands or cover the dough with parchment paper while pressing into the pan.
- Make sure eggs and butter are at room temperature for better mixing and texture.
- Don’t overmix the dough once you add the flour; this keeps the bars tender.
- You can add sprinkles inside the dough and on top for a fun, colorful look.
- Allow the bars to cool fully before frosting to prevent frosting from melting.
- Store bars covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
