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Frosted sugar cookie bars are the perfect Valentine’s Day cookies. These Valentine’s Day sugar cookie bars are soft and chewy. Add sprinkles or food coloring for a fun Valentine cookie idea!
Sugar cookie bars are like sugar cookies twin, except the hands on time is significantly reduced.
These valentine’s day cookies are…
- thick & chewy
- less than 30 minutes of hands on time
- customizable – add food coloring and/or fun sprinkles
- perfect for kids to help make
Total time required
- 10 minutes to prep the dough
- 18-20 minutes to bake the sugar cookie bars
- 1 hour to cool the bars
- 15 minutes to make and frost the bars
Ingredients
unsalted butter: adds flavor and tender texture
granulated sugar & brown sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
eggs: binds the cookie bars together by providing structure
vanilla and almond extract: I believe almond extract is the secret ingredient to making classic tasting sugar cookies
all purpose flour: flour is necessary to build structure in these cookie bars
baking powder & baking soda: helps to leaven and lift the dough
salt: just a pinch to balance the sweetness
How to make frosted sugar cookie bars
- Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs and extracts, beat again. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients by hand.
- Press the dough into an even layer in the foil lined 9×13 inch pan.
- Bake for 18 minutes. Once the bars are done baking, immediately put the pan in the fridge to cool for 1 hour.
- Make the frosting, frost the bars, top with sprinkles, cut and serve.
How to freeze sugar cookie bars
You can pre-bake and freeze these unfrosted sugar cookie bars.
- Allow the cookie bar slab (uncut) to cool completely.
- Wrap the entire slab well in plastic wrap. Then wrap in aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
TO THAW: place the entire slab in the fridge overnight. Frost these Valentine’s Day sugar cookie bars and serve.
FAQ
I made my own sprinkle blend by combining three types of valentine sprinkles that I found at my local craft store.
No, these cookies are safe to be held in an airtight container at room temperature. If you keep them in the fridge, the buttercream frosting will get hard, so you need to let them get to room temperature before serving.
This isn’t a typical sugar cookie icing, so it will never get completely hard. It will get a slight crust on the top of it. If you put it in the fridge, the butter will set up, and it will be harder, but as soon as it gets to room temperature, it’s going to get mushy all over the wrapping.
If you’re looking for a cookie-style cake that looks like a cookie pizza, you can press this onto a 9 inch round pan and bake it off as a circle instead of a rectangle.
Tips
- Properly measure the all purpose flour using the spoon and sweep method.
- Use room temperature butter for easier creaming of the butter and sugar.
- Combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until they are combined. Over mixing could lead to dry, dense cookie bars.
- Line your 9×13 inch pan with tinfoil so that you can easily remove the bars from the pan for easy slicing.
- Frost the bars then place them in the fridge. This will help the frosting stiffen up, making your bars look perfect once you cut them.
More Valentine’s treats
- Easy Chocolate Mousse
- Red Velvet Cookies
- Homemade Chocolate Cake
- Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
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Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract, optional
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Frosting
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter (¾ cup), room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Valentine's sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or parchment paper.
- In the mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture has become light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Use your hands or spatula to spread the mixture into the pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes until it’s golden brown, allow the bars to fully cool.
Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter for 1 minute on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add in the sugar until all the sugar had been incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for 3 minutes until fluffy.
- Spread the frosting over the cookie bar and top with the sprinkles. Cut the cookie bars into squares. Tip: Frost the bars then place them in the fridge. This will help the frosting stiffen up, making your bars look perfect once you cut them.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
