Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are the perfect treat for the holiday season! Delicious sugar cookie dough is baked and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting and Christmas sprinkles and then sliced into bars.
These holiday sugar cookie bars are so much easier to make than traditional cookies. Instead of working in batches, they come together in one baking dish! Plus, there’s no rolling out the dough or cookie cutters involved.
Best time to serve them? Christmas cookie bars are perfect for holiday parties, school celebrations, potluck events, a cookie exchange and more!
For more Christmas desserts with this fabulous sugar cookie flavor, enjoy this no-bake Sugar Cookie Fudge or these cute Grinch Sugar Cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
- Frosted sugar cookie bars are less work than making individual cookies or cut-out sugar cookies.
- Easy recipe…no fancy piping skills needed!
- These easy bar cookies are the perfect sweet treat for the whole family.
- Great for a holiday party cookie tray.
- Perfect for gifting!
Also a fun holiday or all year round treat are these rich and creamy Raspberry Cheesecake Bars.
More Easy Christmas Desserts
Christmas Tree Rice Krispies Treats
Kitchen Equipment Needed
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Large Bowl
- Baking Pan (here’s a 9×13 Pyrex Baking Dish on Amazon)
- Measuring Cups
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
BUTTER: Use unsalted butter to make the cookie dough (be sure to use softened butter).
CREAM CHEESE: Cream cheese adds richness to the dough (be sure to use room temperature cream cheese).
SUGAR: Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the cookie dough, while powdered sugar sweetens the frosting.
EXTRACTS: Both vanilla extract and almond extract help flavor the dough.
EGGS: Room temperature eggs offer the best results as they cream together with the other ingredients more easily.
FLOUR: Use all-purpose flour for the sugar cookie base. Be sure to scoop flour into the measuring cup and then level it off.
CORNSTARCH: Adding cornstarch helps make the cookie bars lighter in texture.
BAKING POWDER: Baking powder is the leavening agent for the cookie dough. Ensure the powder is not expired for best results.
SALT: Salt is used to enhance the flavors of the cookie bars.
SPRINKLES: Holiday sprinkles add a pop of color to the cookie bars. I’m using these cute Christmas Tree Sprinkles along with these Red, White and Green Nonpareils for a variety of sprinkles.
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 9×13 baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper. (Make sure to leave some hanging off the sides so you can pull it out of the baking dish.) Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set the prepared pan to the side.
2. In a large bowl or medium bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. If you use a stand mixer use the paddle attachment. Or use an electric mixer with beaters.
3. Add in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and eggs and mix mix until completely combined.
4. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the cream cheese mixture, carefully beating it.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, grease your hands non-stick cooking spray (to prevent sticking), and flatten and even out the batter in the baking pan.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes or until the toothpick comes clean when you poke it. Cool the bars completely.
7. While the bars are cooling prepare the frosting. Beat the butter until soft and fluffy, mix in the cream cheese, and beat again to combine.
8. Add in the salt and vanilla extract, and mix again.
9. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time while mixing on low.
10. Frost the bars with the buttercream icing.
11. Add sprinkles on top. Here are the adorable Christmas Tree Shaped sprinkles on Amazon.
12. Pull the foil or parchment paper out of the baking dish, slice, and serve.
Tips
- Be sure to use separate mixing bowls for the dry and wet ingredients and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet to ensure all the ingredients incorporate evenly.
- Careful not to over-mix the sugar cookie dough or it can become dense and heavy. Mix just enough to incorporate the ingredients and then spread evenly in the pan.
- Check during the cooking process to make sure the the cookie dough doesn’t over-bake or it will dry out.
- Allow the cookie bars to cool completely after removing from the oven so the frosting doesn’t melt when added.
Variations
- Change up the frosting color. Try adding red food coloring to the frosting and then top the bars with green sprinkles for a bolder pop of color.
- Swap the cream cheese frosting for a homemade buttercream frosting.
- Not a fan of frosting? Feel free to leave it off.
- Add holiday chips, white chocolate chips, festive sprinkles, M&M candies or other mix-ins to the cookie dough.
How to Cut Sugar Cookie Bars into Neat Even Pieces?
I find that running a sharp knife under hot water for a minute or two is key.
Be sure to wipe the blade dry before slicing, and then rinse your blade and repeat. This provides clean slices without making a mess of the bars.
Can I Make Sugar Cookie Bars in Advance?
The cookie bars can be made 1-2 days in advance. If you make them to far ahead of time, they can dry out.
How to Store Leftovers
Unfrosted bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Be sure to refrigerate frosted bars.
The sugar cookie bars can also be frozen in a sealed container for 3-4 months. Enjoy straight from the freezer or let them thaw to room temperature on the counter.
These easy Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are perfect for this time of year! These soft and chewy bars are like classic sugar cookies in bar form.
You’ll definitely want to add them to your collection of Christmas recipes to make year after year!
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are the perfect treat for the holiday season! Delicious sugar cookie dough is baked and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting and Christmas sprinkles and then sliced into bars.
Ingredients
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened to room temp)
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese (softened to room temp)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened to room temp)
- 2 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
- Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line a 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper (make sure to leave some hanging off the sides so you can pull it out of the baking dish.) Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set the prepared pan to the side.
- In a large bowl or medium bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. If you use a stand mixer use the paddle attachment. Or use an electric mixer with beaters.
- Add in the pure vanilla extract, almond extract, and eggs and mix until completely combined.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the cream cheese mixture, carefully beating it.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking dish, grease your hands with non-stick cooking spray (to prevent sticking), and flatten and even out the batter in the baking pan.
- Place in the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when you poke it. Cool the bars completely.
- While the bars are cooling prepare the frosting. Beat the butter until soft and fluffy, mix in the cream cheese, and beat again to combine.
- Add in the salt and pure vanilla extract, and mix again.
- Add the powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time while mixing on low.
- Frost the bars with the buttercream icing.
- Add sprinkles on top.
- Pull the foil or parchment paper out of the baking dish, slice, and serve.
Notes
See recipe post for tips and variations.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 40gProtein: 5g
Nutritional values are estimates and not exact.