Sugar Cookie Bars

Recipe from “American Girl Cookies”

Adapted by Margaux Laskey

Published December 5, 2019

  • An overhead image of several pretty pink buttercream-frosted cookie bars with colored sprinkles. The interior of the bars is a pale, buttery yellow.
    David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
5(6,735)
Comments
Read comments

These sugar cookie bars, which are adapted from “American Girl Cookies,” are happiness in a 9-by-13 pan. The addition of cream cheese in the batter makes them very tender and slightly tangy, a perfect counterpoint to the sweet buttercream frosting. You can, and should, experiment with frosting colors and use sprinkles with abandon. Whatever you do, do not overbake these beauties. When testing for doneness, you want a few moist crumbs to cling to the toothpick. —Margaux Laskey

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:20 bars (One 9-by-13 pan)

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)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
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.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Step 5

    Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
6,735 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Bob D

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

Elizabeth

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. :)

meg

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)

ed4405

came off a little more like cake than sugar cookie. overall not bad

Bridget

I cooked mine for 22 mins and they were pretty raw when they cooled. Probably needed another 10 mins at least. Perhaps the recipe is designed for a metal pan? Should have read the comments and cooked them longer.

Olive c

I cook these bars accordingly that they were completely raw. I was not aware of this until after they. We’re still warm cooling, and I decided to put the frosting on which melted because I was impatient. These were not very good. Even if they were baked. I think because they had no flavor. It was just way too sweet.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from “American Girl Cookies” (Weldon Owen, 2018)

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.