Sugar Cookie Bars
Published December 5, 2019
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 40 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE BARS
1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
2 ¾ cups/350 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 (8-ounce/225-gram) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups/300 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE FROSTING
6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (¾ stick), at room temperature
2 cups/245 grams confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
A drop or two of gel food coloring (optional)
Assorted sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving
42 grams carbs; 55 milligrams cholesterol; 332 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 17 grams fat; 129 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 28 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches.
- Step 2
Make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not overbake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.) Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
- Step 4
Make the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture. Add lemon juice and vanilla to taste.
- Step 5
Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Having read some notes mentioning difficulty in spreading the batter in the pan, I sprayed an offset spatula with cooking spray and the spreading was easy and quick
The dough is thick and sticky- use the same technique to spread in the pan you would a high hydration bread. Dip your fingers in a little water and pat into the pan. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. :)
I reduced the sugar by ¼ cup and added 1T almond extract to the batter. I made the frosting as directed, and it was delicious. In the future, I would leave the lemon juice out for Christmas bars, it didn’t seem seasonal. At other times of the year it would be great! (The batter is very thick and sticky, but worth the effort)
These are just delicious. I've been baking them since 2020. My only meaningful changes are to use salted butter and tint the icing with freeze dried strawberry powder instead of food coloring.
These were decent. My 7yo loved them, I thought they were cloyingly sweet and I didn’t enjoy the lemon frosting. Thankfully I only made 1/2 a batch in an 8x8 pan. I did add the almond extract a lot of people recommended. If I were to make them again I would do a 1/2 batch and then make a cream cheese frosting to get the tanginess without the lemon.
I made this for the perfect audience, and boy were they a hit! I took them to my daughter’s Girl Scout bridging ceremony from Brownies to Juniors and this was the most raved about addition to the potluck table. I added .5 tsp of almond extract to the base, based on other comments, which was perfect. I have a feeling I’ll be making these again with different holiday color/sprinkle combos!