Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
These Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, frosted, and festive, with vanilla almond flavor and an easy 9x13-inch bake for holiday parties.
Servings: 15
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 9x13-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
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.
- 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
Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 503IU | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg