These cream cheese sugar cookie bars are thick and chewy, topped with an easy-to-make frosting and then loaded with festive sprinkles. Change up the color and style of sprinkles to make these dessert bars customized for the season/holiday.
These dessert bars are perfect for potluck, holidays, school lunchbox, after school treat. Okay, basically they're good for any occasion, so let's just get down to how to make them, shall we.
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🍪Sugar cookies vs Cookie Bars
The one major upside to cream cheese cookie bars over traditional sugar cookies is there is no rolling and cutting. Basically, the cookie bars are no fuss.
You guys know I'm not much into making desserts because there's so much effort involved. These bars are just the type of baking I like.
Plus, you can get all the bars in one bake. A lot of times with cookies, you've got to bake in batches.
Related: M&M Christmas Cookie Bar
🛒Ingredients
You'll be glad to learn that all the ingredients needed for these sugar cookie bars are pretty common.
- Butter - unsalted
- Flour - all purpose
- salt
- Cream Cheese - full fat
- Sugar - granulated
- vanilla extract
- egg
and the ingredients for the Frosting
- butter - unsalted
- sugar - powdered (confectioner's)
- vanilla extract
- heavy cream
🍳How to make sugar cookie bars
Start by mixing the butter and cream cheese together until it gets a fluffy texture.
Next, add in the sugar and continue to mix.
Next add in the vanilla and egg.
Once it is blended, gradually mix in the flour and salt.
Spread mixture into a parchment prepared baking dish.
Bake and then allow to cool.
While the bars are cooling, use that time to make the frosting.
Frost the bars once cooled and top with sprinkles.
🍽 Storage
Store frosted bars in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
📃Tips
- Use red and green sprinkles to turn into a Christmas Sugar Cookie Bar
- Add sprinkles to the batter for the sprinkle lovers
- If you absolutely don't want to make the frosting (even though it's easy), go ahead and use store-bought frosting as a shortcut.
- Add a drop or two of food coloring to the frosting if you want a fun-colored frosting
Visit Parade magazine online for 16 Cookie Recipes!
🖨Printable Recipe Card
Printable Recipe Card
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Bar Ingredients
- 1 cup butter unsalted/softened
- 3 cup flour all-purpose
- 1 pinch salt
- 8 ounce block cream cheese
- 1 ½ cup sugar granulated
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 whole egg
Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup butter unsalted/softened
- 2 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. ***See Notes
- Using a hand blender or electric mixer, blend butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in sugar and mix until well blended. Next, add in vanilla and egg and mix again until blended well.
- Add half of the flour and all of the salt and mix. Continue to mix, gradually adding the remainder of the flour.
- Spread mixture into the parchment lined baking dish and smooth out the top as best as possible.
- Bake in pre-heated oven 25-30 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a butter knife into the center. Only a little crumb should cling to the knife.
- Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Remove cookie bars from pan by lifting the parchment paper by the edges.
- Once bars are completely cooled, frost and add sprinkles. Cut into squares.
- Store leftover bars in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Frosting
- Beat together butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream until frosting is formed. Add additional tablespoon of heavy cream, if needed to thin consistency.
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