Best Ever Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars: An Easy Recipe for Perfectly Soft & Frosted Holiday Treats
There’s something truly magical about homemade sugar cookies during the holidays. The festive shapes, the colorful frosting, the sweet, comforting taste – they’re a cornerstone of seasonal celebrations. However, the traditional process of rolling out dough, meticulously cutting individual cookies, and then frosting each one can be quite time-consuming, especially when you’re juggling a busy holiday schedule. That’s where these incredible Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars come to the rescue! Forget the hassle, embrace the ease, and prepare to fall in love with the most delicious, thick, and unbelievably soft sugar cookie bars you’ve ever tasted. This isn’t just a good sugar cookie bar recipe; it’s hands down the best sugar cookie bar recipe I’ve encountered, offering all the joy of classic sugar cookies with a fraction of the effort.
The holiday season is synonymous with baking, and for many, sugar cookies are a non-negotiable part of the tradition. But let’s be honest, the thought of spending hours in the kitchen, rolling, cutting, and decorating hundreds of cookies, can be daunting. These sugar cookie bars offer a brilliant solution, delivering that quintessential holiday sugar cookie flavor and texture in a convenient, shareable bar format. Imagine a thick, chewy slab of sugar cookie goodness, topped with a luscious, creamy frosting, all ready to be sliced and served with minimal fuss. It’s a game-changer for holiday entertaining and a perfect treat for cookie exchanges, family gatherings, or simply enjoying with a warm cup of cocoa.
Over the years, I’ve experimented with countless sugar cookie bar recipes, each promising perfection. While many were decent, none truly captured that melt-in-your-mouth softness and rich flavor that defines the ultimate sugar cookie experience—until now. This recipe is an absolute standout. The bars are consistently thick, wonderfully soft, and possess a delightful chewiness that prevents them from being dry or crumbly. The texture is simply divine, and the accompanying frosting is equally impressive, offering a sweet and tangy balance that complements the cookie perfectly. Even if you consider yourself a lukewarm fan of traditional sugar cookies, I urge you to try this recipe. It might just convert you!
What Makes These the Best Sugar Cookie Bars You’ll Ever Bake?
The secret to the unparalleled excellence of this sugar cookie bar recipe lies in one surprising ingredient: cream cheese in the dough! While most other ingredients are standard fare in sugar cookie recipes, the addition of cream cheese is truly transformative. It imparts an incredible richness and tenderness to the dough, resulting in bars that are exceptionally moist, soft, and have a beautiful crumb. This isn’t just a minor tweak; it’s the defining factor that elevates these bars from good to absolutely phenomenal.
Beyond the cream cheese, a hint of almond extract plays a crucial role in enhancing the flavor profile. While not strictly essential for the cookie’s structure, omitting it would mean missing out on a subtle yet distinct depth of flavor that sets these bars apart. It adds a lovely complexity that perfectly complements the vanilla and sugar, making each bite even more memorable. Trust me, do not skip the almond extract!
Furthermore, proper mixing technique is vital. It might feel like you’re beating the dough for a little longer than you typically would for other cookie recipes, but adhering to the recommended beating times is crucial for achieving that signature thick and soft texture. The extended mixing incorporates more air into the butter, sugar, and cream cheese mixture, leading to a lighter, more tender bar. Patience in the mixing stage will undoubtedly yield the most heavenly results!
Versatility Beyond Christmas: When to Serve These Amazing Sugar Cookie Bars
While these bars are undeniably perfect for Christmas, easily transformed into a festive holiday dessert with green frosting and colorful sprinkles, their versatility extends far beyond December. This recipe is wonderfully adaptable for any celebration or season. Simply adjust the food coloring and sprinkle choices, and you can create a perfectly themed dessert for virtually any occasion throughout the year. Imagine vibrant red and pink for Valentine’s Day, patriotic red, white, and blue for the 4th of July, pastel hues for Easter, or even spooky orange and black for Halloween. They’re also fantastic for baby showers, birthday parties, or just a simple weeknight treat.
The beauty of these bars is how effortlessly they can be customized. A change of color or a switch in sprinkle type is all it takes to transform them for different themes. This makes them a reliable, go-to recipe for busy hosts and bakers who want to impress without spending hours on intricate decorations. The base cookie remains consistently delicious, ensuring a crowd-pleasing dessert every single time, no matter the occasion.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Crafting these exceptional sugar cookie bars begins with selecting high-quality ingredients and preparing them correctly. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is important:
- Butter: You’ll need two sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter for the cookie dough. Opt for real butter, as its flavor and fat content are essential for the cookie’s rich taste and tender texture. Crucially, ensure the butter is softened to room temperature before you begin. This allows it to cream properly with the sugar, creating a smooth, airy base for your dough.
- Granulated Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar provides the primary sweetness and contributes to the cookie’s structure.
- Cream Cheese: The star ingredient! One 8-ounce brick of full-fat cream cheese is what gives these sugar cookies their incredible softness and slight tang, distinguishing them from other recipes. While low-fat or non-fat versions can be used, full-fat cream cheese offers the best flavor and texture. Like the butter, it must be softened to room temperature for smooth incorporation into the dough.
- Egg: Just one large egg acts as a binder, helping to hold all the ingredients together and adding to the cookie’s richness and moisture.
- Almond Extract: This is the “secret weapon” that truly elevates the flavor of these cookie bars. Its distinctive, slightly nutty aroma complements the classic vanilla beautifully. While the bars will still be good without it, the almond extract adds a layer of sophistication that makes them truly irresistible. If you have an almond allergy or strong aversion, you can increase the vanilla extract slightly, but I highly recommend including it if possible.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a good quality vanilla extract. The flavor of vanilla is prominent in sugar cookies, so a high-quality extract (pure vanilla extract, not imitation) will make a noticeable difference in the overall taste.
- Baking Powder: This leavening agent is responsible for the slight lift and tenderness of the cookies. Always check the expiration date to ensure it’s fresh and active for optimal results.
- All-Purpose Flour: Standard all-purpose flour is perfectly suited for this recipe, providing the necessary structure without making the cookies tough. Ensure you measure your flour correctly, preferably by weight or using the spoon-and-level method to avoid over-measurement.
Ingredients for the Irresistible Sugar Cookie Frosting
No sugar cookie bar is complete without a generous layer of creamy frosting. Here’s what you’ll need to create the perfect topping:
- Butter: Another half cup (one stick) of real, unsalted butter is needed for the frosting. Again, it’s vital that the butter is softened to room temperature. This ensures a smooth, lump-free frosting that creams beautifully with the other ingredients.
- Cream Cheese: You’ll use half an 8-ounce brick (4 ounces) of cream cheese for the frosting. This adds a wonderful tanginess that cuts through the sweetness of the powdered sugar, creating a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Just like with the cookie dough, make sure it’s softened to room temperature for the best consistency. Full-fat, low-fat, or non-fat cream cheese will all work well here.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this is the primary sweetener and gives the frosting its smooth, pipeable texture. Sifting your powdered sugar can help prevent lumps, though vigorous beating usually smooths them out.
- Milk: A few tablespoons of milk are used to adjust the frosting’s consistency. Start with the minimum amount (3 tablespoons) and gradually add more, a teaspoon at a time, until your frosting reaches your desired spreadable or pipeable thickness. Any type of milk or cream can be used.
- Vanilla Extract: A teaspoon of vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor of the frosting, adding another layer of aromatic sweetness. As with the cookie dough, a high-quality vanilla extract is recommended.
- Food Coloring: This is where the magic happens for customization! Liquid or gel food coloring can be added to tint your frosting any color imaginable. For Christmas, green is a classic choice, but red or even a mix of colors can be stunning. This makes adapting these bars for any holiday, party, or special event incredibly easy and fun.
How to Make These Irresistible Sugar Cookie Bars
Creating these delightful Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars is straightforward and enjoyable. Follow these simple steps for perfectly baked and frosted treats:
- Prepare Your Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures that your cookie bars start baking at the correct temperature immediately, which is crucial for even baking and proper texture.
- Cream the Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, softened cream cheese, and the egg. Beat these ingredients together with an electric mixer for approximately 4 minutes. This extended beating time is essential for incorporating air and creating a light, fluffy mixture, which contributes to the bars’ incredible soft texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well combined.
- Add Extracts: Next, add the almond extract and vanilla extract to the mixture. Continue beating for another minute until the extracts are fully incorporated and their wonderful aromas begin to fill the kitchen.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Reduce your mixer speed to low, and gradually add the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Beat for an additional 2 minutes, or until the flour is just combined and no dry streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix at this stage, as overmixing can lead to tougher cookies.
- Press and Bake: Lightly grease a 10″x15″x1″ pan (a standard jelly roll pan works perfectly) or line it with parchment paper for easy removal. Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly golden brown and the center is set. Remember, you want soft cookies, so err on the side of slightly underbaking rather than overbaking.
- Cool Completely: Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let the cookie bars cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. Attempting to frost warm bars will result in melted, messy frosting.
- Prepare the Frosting: While the bars are cooling, prepare your frosting. In a clean mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk (starting with 3 tablespoons), and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If you desire a thinner frosting, add the remaining milk (or more, a teaspoon at a time) until the desired consistency is achieved. If using food coloring, mix it in until evenly distributed.
- Frost, Slice, and Serve: Once the bars are completely cool, spread the smooth frosting evenly over the top. You can use an offset spatula for a nice, even layer. If desired, decorate with sprinkles before the frosting sets. Finally, slice the frosted bars into squares or rectangles and serve!
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 ½ cups flour
- Frosting:
- ½ cup butter softened to room temperature
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3-5 Tbsp milk start with 3 and add more to desired consistency
- 1 tsp vanilla
- food coloring
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°.
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In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, cream cheese and egg for about 4 minutes.
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Add the almond extract and vanilla and beat for another minute.
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Add the flour and baking powder and beat for 2 more minutes.
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Press the dough into a greased 10″X15″X1″ pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let the bars cool and then add the frosting.
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Mix all the frosting ingredients together and beat until smooth. Frost the cooled bars and then slice and serve.
Nutrition
Achieving Flawless Slices: How to Cut Perfect Cookie Bars Every Time
One of the most satisfying aspects of baking is presenting a tray of beautifully cut desserts. When it comes to dense, moist treats like cookie bars baked in a pan, achieving clean, uniform slices can sometimes be a challenge. How many times have you struggled with that first row, ending up with a torn, uneven piece that you almost don’t want to serve? The answer to effortlessly cutting every single cookie bar to perfection is a simple kitchen staple: parchment paper!
Lining your baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides, allows you to lift the entire slab of cooled cookie bars out of the pan. Once removed, you can place the whole sheet on a cutting board, making it incredibly easy to use a sharp knife to create clean, precise cuts. This method prevents any sticking to the pan and ensures that every piece looks as good as it tastes. For the cleanest cuts, use a large, sharp knife and wipe it clean between slices, especially if the frosting is sticky.
If you don’t have parchment paper on hand, don’t worry! You can still make these delicious bars. Simply grease your pan thoroughly as you normally would. While your first row might not be quite as pristine, the deliciousness of the bars will more than make up for it. These particular sugar cookie bars are relatively sturdy and hold their shape well, making them easier to cut cleanly than many other delicate desserts. With or without parchment, you’ll still end up with amazing treats!
Pro Tips for Baking the Best Sugar Cookie Bars
To ensure your sugar cookie bars turn out perfectly soft, chewy, and utterly delicious every single time, keep these expert tips in mind:
- Don’t Melt the Butter! This is a critical point for successful sugar cookie bars. The butter needs to be properly softened to room temperature, which means it should be pliable enough to leave an indent when pressed but not oily or melted. Using melted butter will drastically alter the dough’s consistency, leading to flatter, greasier, and less tender cookies.
- Take Your Time Mixing the Dough: The recipe specifically calls for beating the wet ingredients for several minutes, and this step is non-negotiable for achieving the desired texture. The extended mixing time allows the butter, sugar, and cream cheese to become light and airy, incorporating tiny air pockets that contribute to the bars’ incredible softness and chewiness. Don’t rush this process; those few extra minutes make a significant difference.
- Always Preheat Your Oven: A properly preheated oven is essential for consistent baking. Placing dough into a cold or partially heated oven can lead to uneven baking, affecting the texture and rise of your cookie bars. Ensure your oven reaches 350°F (175°C) before putting the pan in.
- Utilize Parchment Paper: As discussed, lining your 9×13-inch pan (or the recommended 10″x15″x1″ pan for this recipe) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides, is a game-changer. It makes removing the cooled cookie slab from the pan incredibly easy and allows for much cleaner, more precise slicing.
- Avoid Overbaking at All Costs: This might be the most crucial tip for soft and chewy cookie bars. Keep a close eye on your oven, and once the edges of the bars begin to turn just the lightest golden brown, take them out! The center might look slightly underdone, but the cookies will continue to cook slightly from residual heat as they cool. Overbaking, even by a minute or two, can transform these wonderfully soft bars into hard, dry bricks. I always prefer to err on the side of slightly undercooked for that perfect tender bite.
Explore More Delicious Cookie Bar Recipes!
If you’ve fallen in love with the convenience and deliciousness of these Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars, you’re in for a treat! Cookie bars are a fantastic way to enjoy all your favorite cookie flavors in an easy-to-bake format. Here are some of our other highly recommended cookie bar recipes that are sure to become new family favorites:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- No Bake Cookie Bars
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
- Swirled Patriotic Cookie Bars
- Tagalong Cookie Bars
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
- Peppermint Cookie Bars
- Cherry Almond Cookie Bars
- Fudgy Oatmeal Cookie Bars
As we delve into the warmth of the holiday season, these sugar cookie bars bring back so many fond memories. Flipping through old Christmas photos, I stumbled upon a sweet gem from about five years ago. It’s amazing how quickly time flies – my kids look like babies in that picture! There’s just something timeless about those Christmas morning photos on the stairs. Perhaps it’s a tradition unique to my family, but I’ve always loved capturing the excitement as the children come down to see what Santa brought. Does anyone else always get a picture of the kids descending the stairs on Christmas morning? It’s these cherished moments, often accompanied by homemade treats, that truly define the spirit of the season.
We hope this comprehensive guide inspires you to bake a batch of these extraordinary Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars. Their thick, soft texture and absolutely amazing flavor profile, enhanced by the secret ingredient of cream cheese, truly make them the best sugar cookie bar recipe you’ll ever try. They offer a delightful blend of classic holiday charm and modern baking convenience, ensuring more time for making memories and less time fussing in the kitchen. Enjoy the joy of baking and sharing these wonderful treats with your loved ones this holiday season!