sugar cookie bars Archives - Family Cookie Recipes

CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Nellie — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 10:09:00 +0000

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are thick, soft and absolutely amazing! Best sugar cookie bar recipe that I’ve ever tried!

Sugar cookies are a holiday must, but sometimes I just don’t have the time or energy for rolling out the dough, cutting out the cookies and frosting each cookie individually. Cue the sugar cookie bars!

I’ve tried many different sugar cookie bar recipes over the years, and most of them are pretty good, but this one is absolutely incredible. Perfect thickness. Perfect texture – not dry or crumbly at all, but thick and soft. And the frosting is delicious too! Even if you don’t think you are a fan of sugar cookies, you need to try this recipe.

The key to making the best sugar cookie bars?

I think the reason this recipe is so superior to all others is because there is cream cheese in the sugar cookie dough. The rest of the ingredients are pretty standard, but the cream cheese absolutely creates the perfect texture for these cookie bars.

And that little bit of almond extract isn’t completely necessary, but it adds a fantastic flavor, so don’t leave it out!

Also, make sure to beat the dough according to the directions. It may feel like you are mixing for longer than you normally do, but I promise that the results will be worth it!

When to serve sugar cookie bars?

Turn the frosting green and add some holiday sprinkles and you have the perfect Christmas dessert! The nice thing about the recipe is that it can work for any holiday…just change the frosting color and pick the right sprinkles and you can have the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, the 4th of July, Easter, Halloween, baby showers, etc.

Ingredients in Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Butter – You will need 2 sticks of butter for this recipe. Real butter works best and make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before adding to the sugar.

Sugar – Regular granulated sugar adds all the sweetness to these delicious cookie bars.

Cream cheese – One 8-ounce brick of cream cheese is what makes these sugar cookies so amazing. Regular cream cheese works best, but you can also use a low-fat or non-fat version. Just make sure to soften it before adding to the recipe.

Egg – You only need 1 egg to bind everything together.

Almond extract – This is the other “secret” ingredient that makes these cookie bars the best. You can leave it out and they will still be good, but I love the additional flavor boost that comes from adding the almond extract.

Vanilla extract – The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better!

Baking powder – Acts as the leavening agent in the cookies. Make sure your baking powder isn’t expired!

Flour – All-purpose flour works best in this recipe.

Frosting:

SUGAR COOKIE FROSTING INGREDIENTS

Butter – More butter! Again, make sure to use real butter and soften it to room temperature before making the frosting.

Cream cheese – You only need half of a brick of cream cheese for the frosting. Regular, non-fat or low-fat all work well. Make sure it is softened to room temperature as well.

Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar is the main ingredient in frosting so don’t leave it out!

Milk – Milk helps to thin out the frosting to desired consistency. Any type of milk or cream works great. Just add a little bit to begin with and add a little more if you want to thin the frosting out.

Vanilla extract – Adds a little extra flavor to the frosting. The higher the quality, the better.

Food coloring – Add some food coloring to make the frosting any color you want! Easy to adapt these bars to any holiday, party or special occasion.

How to make Sugar Cookie Bars

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, cream cheese and egg for about 4 minutes.

Add the almond extract and vanilla and beat for another minute.

Add the flour and baking powder and beat for 2 more minutes.

Press the dough into a greased 10″X15″X1″ pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let the bars cool and then add the frosting.

Mix all the frosting ingredients together and beat until smooth. Frost the cooled bars and then slice and serve.

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are thick, soft and absolutely amazing! Best sugar cookie bar recipe that I've ever tried!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 319kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

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

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, cream cheese and egg for about 4 minutes.
Add the almond extract and vanilla and beat for another minute.
Add the flour and baking powder and beat for 2 more minutes.
Press the dough into a greased 10″X15″X1″ pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let the bars cool and then add the frosting.
Mix all the frosting ingredients together and beat until smooth. Frost the cooled bars and then slice and serve.

Nutrition

HOW TO CUT PERFECT COOKIE BARS

The answer to getting every single cookie bar cut and looking perfect is parchment paper! I used to always get frustrated with desserts that are made in a 9X13 pan because I felt like I was always destroying the entire first row trying to get them out of the pan! Then I discovered that if you use parchment paper, you can remove all the cookie bars from the pan and slice them perfectly.

If you don’t have parchment paper, you can just grease your pan like you usually do but your first row may just not be quite as pretty! This cookie bar recipe is one of the easiest to cut into squares – they stay intact much better than many other desserts!

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Do not melt the butter! The butter needs to be softened (at room temperature), but using melted butter will ruin the cookies.
Spend a little extra time when you mix everything together. Adding a few extra minutes (as the recipe states), will make a huge difference in the texture and consistency of the cookie bars.
Preheat the oven. This will help your cookies turn out right every time!
Use parchment paper. Doing this will make it really easy to remove the cookies from your 9X13 pan.
Make sure not to over bake your cookie bars. Once the edges begin to turn even the lightest golden brown, take them out of the oven! I prefer to err on the side of being slightly undercooked for cookies because if they cook even a little bit too long, they can get hard and I really like soft cookies!

LIKE COOKIE BARS? HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE COOKIE BAR RECIPES!

I was looking through Christmas photos from years past and found this little gem from about 5 years ago. 5 years doesn’t seem that long ago, but my kids look like babies in this picture! Gotta love those Christmas morning photos on the stairs. Or maybe that’s only my family tradition…anyone else always get a picture of the kids coming down the stairs on Christmas morning?!

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are thick, soft and absolutely amazing! Best sugar cookie bar recipe that I’ve ever tried!

The post CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIE BARS appeared first on Family Cookie Recipes.

CHERRY ALMOND COOKIE BARS

Nellie — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 13:02:38 +0000

Cherry Almond Cookie Bars made with butter, sugar, flour, eggs and of course, almond extract & maraschino cherries! Soft, buttery bars with delightful cherry flavor!

These Cherry Almond Cookie Bars will be going on all of my neighbor goody plates this holiday season – they are absolutely delicious, super easy to make and they look beautiful on any tray of treats!

If you love sugar cookies, but don’t really love traditional frosting, these bars are perfect. The cherries and the glaze add just enough sweetness without overpowering the flavor of the cookie bars. The texture of these cookie bars is slightly drier than a sugar cookie bar, but more moist than a shortbread. I’ve only made these a few times now, but something about them is absolutely addicting!

How to Make Cherry Almond Cookie Bars

Cherry Almond Cookie Bars Recipe

Cherry Almond Cookie Bars are simple cookie bars that fall somewhere between a shortbread and a sugar cookie. This cookie bar recipe is packed with almond flavoring and topped with chopped maraschino cherries and a simple powdered sugar glaze.

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword Cherry Almond Cookie Bars

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Servings

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
I 16 oz jar maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry with paper towels, quartered

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and eggs for about 2-3 minutes. Add the almond extract and beat for another minute. Add the flour and salt and mix just until combined.
Spread batter into a prepared 10″X15″X1″ pan. You can either grease the pan well or line with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and then sprinkle the cherries on top.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges begin to very lightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
Mix together the milk, powdered sugar and almond extract in a small bowl. Add more milk if needed to get to the desired glaze consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bars and then cut into squares and serve.

Can you freeze cookie bars?

Yes! These bars freeze beautifully, but even better without the glaze. Just cut into bars and freeze and then when you are ready to serve, lay all the bars out on the counter over waxed paper to thaw, and then drizzle with fresh glaze.

HOW TO CUT PERFECT COOKIE BARS

The answer to getting every single cookie bar cut and looking perfect is parchment paper! I used to always get frustrated with desserts that are made in a large baking pan because I felt like I was always destroying the entire first row trying to get them out of the pan! Then I discovered that if you use parchment paper, you can remove all the cookie bars from the pan and slice them perfectly.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST COOKIE BARS

Do not melt the butter! The butter needs to be softened (at room temperature), but using melted butter will ruin the cookies.
Spend a little extra time when you mix everything together. Adding a few extra minutes (as the recipe states), will make a huge difference in the texture and consistency of the cookie bars.
Preheat the oven. This will help your cookies turn out right every time!
Use parchment paper. Doing this will make it really easy to remove the cookies from your pan.
Make sure not to over bake your cookie bars. Once the edges begin to turn even the lightest golden brown, take them out of the oven! I prefer to err on the side of being slightly undercooked for cookies/cookie bars because if they cook even a little bit too long, they can get hard and I really like soft cookies!

The post CHERRY ALMOND COOKIE BARS appeared first on Family Cookie Recipes.

LEMON SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Jessica — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 03:18:40 +0000

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars made with a soft & chewy sugar cookie base then topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Easy recipe for sugar cookie bars!

I pulled inspiration from several of my favorite cookie recipes for these delightful Lemon Sugar Cookies. They’re the perfect antidote for this freezing, snowy weather we’ve been having. They’re soft, perfectly sweet and the lemon flavor is bright and lovely. My family devoured them!

Which is better, lemon zest or lemon extract?

Lemon extract is easier to store and use, since you buy it and keep it in your cupboard. But even still, I prefer using lemon zest in my recipes because it adds a much more authentic lemon flavor. Lemon extract is made with a concentrated amount of alcohol and lemon and I feel you end up tasting the alcohol flavor too much.

Highlights of this recipe

Easy ingredients. You’ll love how simple ingredients come together to create these lemon cookie bars. The recipe uses common baking staples, so you probably already have most of them on hand.
Luscious lemon flavor! The lemon glaze on top brings extra moisture and richness. It’s smooth, sweet, and loaded with more lemon zest and juice for a strong but balanced lemon taste.
A perfect choice. If you’re aiming for a dessert that’s perfect for spring or summer, these lemon sugar cookie bars fit nicely. They’re great for picnics, holidays, or a simple treat any time.

Ingredients for Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

Butter: You’ll need 1 cup of butter, softened.

Sugar: Add 1 ¼ cup of granulated sugar for soft, chewy bars.

Egg: Bind the ingredients using 1 egg.

Extract: Flavor the dough with 2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Lemon: You need 1 lemon, fully zested and juiced. You’ll need a combined total of 1 TBSP+ 2 tsp of lemon zest and 2 TBSP of lemon juice. Zest the lemon first, then extract the juice.

Flour: The structural base of this dough is 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour.

Baking powder: Help the cookie base rise by adding 1 tsp of baking powder to the dough.

Salt: Balance the flavors with ½ tsp of salt.

Lemon Glaze:

Butter: For a rich glaze, use 3 TBSP of butter, melted.

Powder sugar: Adding 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar creates a sweet, smooth glaze.

Milk: You need 2 TBSP of milk for more moisture and creaminess.

Lemon: Give the topping more citrus flavor by adding 2 TBSP of lemon juice and 2 tsp of lemon zest. Remember, zest the lemon first, then squeeze out the juice.

Tips for making Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

Softened butter: Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before starting. This helps create a smooth batter and tender crumb.
Don’t overbake—remove the bars when the edges are set and the center springs back lightly when pressed.
Prep your pan: If you sprayed the pan with non-stick spray, you can just cut the bars in the pan. If you lined the pan with parchment paper, you can pull the entire sheet of cookies out, then cut them into squares out of the pan. Either step makes for easy removal!

How long are Lemon Bars good for?

Store your lemon sugar cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate the bars for up to a week. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving to soften.

You can freeze the baked bars without glaze, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then add glaze before serving.

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars made with a soft & chewy sugar cookie base then topped with a sweet lemon glaze. Easy recipe for sugar cookie bars!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword lemon sugar cookie bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Cooling time 20

Total Time 54

Servings servings

Calories 158kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Crust

1 cup butter softened
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP lemon zest
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Lemon Glaze

3 TBSP butter melted
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×13 pan (or quarter bakers sheet) with parchment paper. Set it aside.
Mix the butter with an electric mixer on high for 1 minute, until light in color. Add the sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, and mix again.
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk lightly, so the salt and baking powder are well incorporated into the flour. Proceed to pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix well.
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press it down so the dough is spread evenly across the entire pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let it cool for 20 minutes before adding the glaze.
Whisk all the lemon glaze ingredients in a bowl and pour it onto the warm cookie bars. Spread it across the cookie bars with a rubber scraper. Let the bars fully cool to set. Cut into 30 squares, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature and they will last up to 3 days. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freeze the baked bars without glaze, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then add glaze before serving.

Nutrition

How can I make cookie bars using a packaged cookie dough?

You can save time by using Pillsbury sugar cookie dough for the crust. Press the dough evenly into your pan before adding a lemon filling made with fresh lemon juice and zest. This approach shortens prep without losing lemon flavor.

Should the butter be soft or chilled when preparing cookie dough?

You want your butter softened to room temperature. It should be soft enough to cream easily with sugar but not melted. This helps create a tender, chewy texture in your cookie bars.

Is it possible to replace fresh lemon juice with bottled lemon juice?

Bottled lemon juice can be used as a substitute, but it may lack the bright, fresh flavor of fresh lemons. If you use bottled juice, consider adding extra zest to boost the citrus aroma.

What is the best way to create a smooth lemon glaze?

Start with melted butter, then gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest last, mixing well to keep the glaze creamy and pourable. Adjust milk amount to get your desired consistency.

Love cookies with fruit in them? Try these other lemon favorites:

Lemon Raspberry Cookie Cups are easy to make, and perfectly portioned for serving at potlucks and parties!
Our recipe for Easy Fruit Pizza Cookies are vanilla cookies topped with sweet cream & fresh fruit! They are great treats for Spring and Summer parties.
You will go crazy for these Lemon Blueberry Muffin Cookies. Made from scratch, these cookies are packed with incredible lemon flavor and juicy blueberries.
Try our Frosted Strawberry Cookies, not only are they delicious but stunning too! Sugar cookies made with fresh strawberries and topped with a buttercream frosting.
We love recipes that have shortcuts and these Cake Mix Lemon Oreo Cookies hit the mark! Using a few basic ingredients and a boxed cake mix, this dessert comes together quick and easy.

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars combine butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and fresh lemon zest and juice to create a flavorful cookie dough base. An easy recipe for delightful sugar cookie bars!

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