Ingredients
Scale
Sugar Cookie Bars
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (344 grams), spooned and leveled
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch (about 24 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened but not starting to melt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk, discard the white, in addition to the 2 large whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
For the Frosting
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams), softened to room temperature
- 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese (56 grams), softened to room temperature, or replace with another 1/4 cup butter
- 3–4 cups powdered sugar (330–440 grams), sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream, or milk
- 2–4 drops food coloring, optional
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) pan and line with parchment paper so that there’s an overhang around the edges. Greasing first keeps the paper in place. Alternatively, lightly grease the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamed together.
- Beat in the 2 eggs, additional egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture, starting with the mixer on a low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed until combined.
- Add the batter to your prepared pan and smooth into an even layer using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until the top is set and the sides are just beginning to pull away from the edges of the pan. Bake time depends slightly on how chewy or cakey you prefer your cookie bars. Baking longer will make them a little more cakey in texture. Allow to cool fully before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the cream cheese. Cutting the cream cheese into cubes first makes mixing easier.
- Add in 2 cups powdered sugar along with the vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and optional food coloring. Beat together, starting with the mixer on a low speed.
- Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2–1 cup at a time, adding in the cream 1 tablespoon at a time as needed until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached.
Decorating
- Frost the fully cooled bars with an offset spatula or knife. Optionally, decorate with sprinkles.
- Place in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before slicing so the frosting slightly hardens and gives you cleaner cuts.
- When ready to slice, if you lined the pan with parchment, lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang from the long sides and place on a cutting board. Slice with a sharp knife. If you only greased the pan, slice the bars in the pan.
Notes
- For a Small Batch: Make the bars in an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan. Divide all the ingredients in half, except for the small changes due to the extra egg yolk. The bars will take about 20–25 minutes to bake.
- 1 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Fresh is always best.
- Nutrition: Nutrition is an estimate only and based on 1 bar with frosting, assuming the pan is sliced into 18 uniform pieces and all the frosting is used.
- Equipment: 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking