Description
These Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are thick, soft, and chewy bars with a rich cream cheese and vanilla-infused cookie base topped with a smooth, creamy vanilla almond buttercream frosting. Perfectly sweet with a hint of almond and a luscious sprinkle topping, these bars make an ideal treat for gatherings or an indulgent everyday dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Bars
- 2½ cups flour (312 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ – ½ tsp salt
- 1â…“ cups 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)
Frosting
- ½ cup 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 Tbsp heavy cream (more as desired)
- Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature for baking your cookie bars evenly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until fully combined and aerated.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the eggs, vanilla bean paste, almond extract, and softened cream cheese until everything is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.
- Combine Dry and Wet: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture while beating on low speed. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain to avoid overmixing, which could toughen the bars. If you want sprinkles inside, fold them in with the last bit of dry ingredients gently.
- Prepare Pan and Shape Dough: Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press the sticky dough evenly into the pan; spraying your hands lightly with oil or using a parchment sheet on top helps with spreading the dough smoothly.
- Bake: Bake the cookie bars for 17-22 minutes until the edges start turning a light golden brown. The center may seem slightly underdone, but it will continue to set as it cools, resulting in that perfect chewy texture.
- Cool Completely: Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan to ensure they firm up properly before frosting.
- Make Frosting: Beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the vanilla, sea salt, and almond extract, mixing to combine. Gradually add powdered sugar while beating, then add heavy cream and beat until the buttercream frosting is smooth, creamy, and fluffy.
- Frost Bars and Decorate: Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars. Sprinkle extra decorative sprinkles on top and allow the frosting to set before cutting into 24 servings.
Notes
- Using room temperature ingredients is essential for smooth mixing and better texture.
- Do not overmix the batter once adding dry ingredients to keep bars tender.
- Pressing dough evenly helps bake the bars uniformly.
- Allow bars to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting or sliding of the buttercream.
- You can adjust the amount of heavy cream in frosting for preferred consistency.
- Sprinkles are optional and can be customized by color or omitted for a simpler bar.
