Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting

Name: Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature; 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg room temperature; 1 tsp vanilla pure; 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour unbleached; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp sea salt fine; 6 Tbsp unsalted butter; 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar; 2 Tbsp heavy cream; 1 tsp vanilla; 2 drops pink gel food coloring; decorative sprinkles

by Whisking Wolf

12 servings

40 min

Sugar Cookie Bars with Buttercream Frosting taste just like classic cutouts but are ready in a fraction of the time. Soft, chewy and topped with fluffy frosting, these simple bars let you bypass the rolling pin for a spatula. Decorate them with sprinkles and enjoy the delicious combination of sugar cookies and bars.

Christmas songs are all the same. If I hear one more slow-paced tune about a brooding man missing pumpkin pie and their better halves, I’m gonna lose it. Want a window into the soul of the male species? Listen to a holiday record. In three seconds you’ll find out that men only care about two things: food and women who can make them food.

Even Nat King Cole, a crooner with one of the most extraordinary voices in history, recorded a song about chestnuts. I’m supposed to believe there wasn’t anything better for a hall of famer to sing about than an overpriced nut you can’t even peel open unless it’s on a flaming fire for 15 minutes?

There’s been 74 years of musical hype about roasting chestnuts on an open fire yet I had no freaking clue what the fuss was for. Nostalgia was my guess, but the answer was actually a near-death experience. I’m satisfied with that outcome; my sister, not so much.

Long (yet seemingly hilarious) story short, I finally tried my hand at roasting chestnuts. Evidently my hand did something wrong because chestnuts started exploding in a frenzy then one flew across the room like a missile-guided rocket and hit its intended target: my sister’s neck.

On the positive side, she had enough Captain Morgan in her system to offset the pain of a 500 degree nut searing her skin. Plus I had the foresight to get her a new turtleneck for Christmas. Basically, it’s like the nutty incident never even happened. My sister doesn’t agree with my logic so, to smooth over her blistering burns, I’m making her a batch of sugar cookie bars.

All things considered, buttercream frosted sugar cookie bars are a great peace offering. They’re soft, chewy and the fastest way to make amends with my sailor-cussing sis. For the taste of sugar cookie cutouts with only a fraction of the work, this yummy recipe is a tried-and-true favorite of chestnut-maimed siblings.

sugar cookie bars with buttercream frosting

Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting

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Recipe details

Yield 12 servings
Time spent: Prep time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 20 Minutes Total time: 40 min

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Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Bars

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1 tsp vanilla pure
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour unbleached
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt fine

Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 drops pink gel food coloring
decorative sprinkles

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 metal baking pan with parchment paper then set aside.
Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy, approximately 1 minute.
Beat in sugar until combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula as needed.
Add egg and vanilla, beat until well mixed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Reduce mixer speed to low then gradually add dry ingredients to wet until a soft dough forms. Take care to avoid overmixing.
Spread dough in prepared baking pan and smooth with a spatula. Note: dough will be thick.
Bake cookie bars for 20 minutes or until center is set and the edges just begin to turn golden brown. Do not overbake.
Place pan on a wire baking rack and cool bars completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

Cream butter, powdered sugar, cream and vanilla together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Mix in 2 drops of food coloring gel until color is evenly distributed.
Frost bars with buttercream and top with decorative sprinkles.
Place pan in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Store cookie bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Tips

I recommend gel dye for the frosting because gel is more vibrant and less diluting than liquid dye.
This recipe calls for heavy cream for the buttercream frosting. Whole milk passes as a substitute but may result in less fluffy frosting.
For best results be sure egg, butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before beginning.

Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting

Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting

Recipe details

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Bars

Buttercream Frosting

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Bars

Buttercream Frosting

Tips

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Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting

Sugar Cookie Bars With Buttercream Frosting

Recipe details

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Bars

Buttercream Frosting

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Bars

Buttercream Frosting

Tips

Popular Recipe Book

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