Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, thick, frosted cookie bars with cream cheese, vanilla, almond extract, and festive sprinkles. They have all the flavor of classic Sugar Cookies without the rolling, cutting, or chilling, which makes them especially easy during the busy holiday season.
The cream cheese helps keep the bars extra soft and tender, while the vanilla and almond extracts give them that classic bakery-style sugar cookie flavor we love. Everything bakes in one 9×13-inch pan, then gets topped with a fluffy homemade frosting that is easy to color and decorate for Christmas.
For more favorite bars, check out our 7 Layer Bars, Pecan Pie Bars, and Cookie Bars.
Why You’ll Love Them + Why They Work:
- No Rolling or Chilling. You get classic sugar cookie flavor without chilling dough, rolling it out, or baking multiple trays of cookies.
- Soft + Thick. Cream cheese and butter make these bars tender, rich, and thick enough to cut into easy squares.
- Easy to Share. One 9×13-inch pan makes plenty for Christmas parties, cookie trays, school treats, and neighbor gifts.
- A Festive Treat: Frosting, food coloring, and sprinkles make them perfect for Christmas.
- Cream Cheese Keeps Them Soft. A full package adds moisture and richness, helping the bars stay tender instead of dry.
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bar Ingredients
- Sugar (1¼ cups): Sweetens the cookie bars and helps create a soft texture.
- Unsalted butter, softened (¾ cup): Adds richness and buttery flavor to the bars.
- Cream cheese, softened (1 package, 8 ounces): Keeps the bars soft, tender, and rich.
- Egg (1): Helps bind the dough and gives the bars structure.
- Vanilla extract (1 tablespoon): Adds warm sugar cookie flavor.
- Almond extract (1 teaspoon): Adds that classic bakery-style sugar cookie flavor.
- All-purpose flour (1¾ cups): Gives the bars structure and helps them bake into sliceable squares.
- Baking soda (1 teaspoon): Helps the bars rise and bake evenly.
- Baking powder (1 teaspoon): Adds lift and helps keep the texture soft.
- Powdered sugar (3½ cups): Creates the sweet base for the frosting.
- Unsalted butter, softened (½ cup): Adds richness and makes the frosting creamy.
- Milk (4-5 tablespoons): Thins the frosting to the right spreadable texture.
- Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons): Adds warm flavor to the frosting.
- Almond extract (½ teaspoon): Adds classic sugar cookie flavor to the frosting.
- Food coloring, optional: Adds festive Christmas color to the frosting.
- Sprinkles, for topping optional: Adds color, crunch, and a fun holiday finish.
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a metal 9×13-inch pan, or line it with parchment paper with enough overhang to lift the cooled bars out.
WET INGREDIENTS. To make the bars, beat sugar, butter, cream cheese, and egg with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until well blended and a bit frothy, 2–3 minutes. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
DRY INGREDIENTS. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and baking powder.
MIX + BAKE. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. The dough will be thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula or lightly greased hands.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden and the center is set but still soft. Let cool completely.
FROSTING. Beat powdered sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and almond extracts until well combined. Start with 4 tablespoons of milk, adding more as needed to reach the desired texture. Add food coloring.
Spread over cooled bars. Immediately top with sprinkles so they stick before the frosting sets.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Use softened ingredients. Softened butter and cream cheese blend together more evenly so you do not end up with little lumps in the dough.
- Do not over-mix the flour. Once the dry ingredients go in, mix only until combined to help keep the bars soft and tender.
- Watch the bake closely. Pull the bars when the edges are just lightly golden and the center is set but still soft so they do not dry out.
- Cool completely before frosting. Warm bars will melt the butter frosting and make it difficult to get a thick, pretty layer.
- Clean cuts. For clean squares, chill the frosted bars for about 20 minutes before cutting, then wipe the knife clean between slices.
- Variation. Switch up the frosting color and sprinkles for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Easter, or any other holiday.
- Make ahead. Bake the bars a day ahead, cover tightly, then frost and decorate closer to serving.
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Bars
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting
- 3½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- food coloring optional
- sprinkles for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a metal 9×13-inch pan, or line it with parchment paper with enough overhang to lift the cooled bars out.
- To make the bars, beat sugar, butter, cream cheese, and egg with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until well blended and a bit frothy, 2–3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined. The dough will be thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula or lightly greased hands.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden and the center is set but still soft. Let cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat powdered sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and almond extracts until well combined. Start with 4 tablespoons of milk, adding more as needed to reach the desired texture. Add food coloring.
- Spread over cooled bars. Immediately top with sprinkles so they stick before the frosting sets.
Notes
- Use softened ingredients. Softened butter and cream cheese blend together more evenly so you do not end up with little lumps in the dough.
- Do not over-mix the flour. Once the dry ingredients go in, mix only until combined to help keep the bars soft and tender.
- Watch the bake closely. Pull the bars when the edges are just lightly golden and the center is set but still soft so they do not dry out.
- Cool completely before frosting. Warm bars will melt the butter frosting and make it difficult to get a thick, pretty layer.
- Make ahead. Bake the bars a day ahead, cover tightly, then frost and decorate closer to serving.
- Variation. Switch up the frosting color and sprinkles for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Easter, or any other holiday.
Nutrition
Recipe FAQ
Keep frosted bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving for a softer texture.
Freeze unfrosted bars tightly wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before frosting and decorating.
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This recipe was first shared October 2026.
