Are you looking for a delicious, festive holiday treat? Look no further than these Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars! They are simple to make and taste amazing.
The soft sugar cookie bar base is topped with a creamy frosting and decorated with festive sprinkles. These bars will be sure to please everyone at your Christmas party!
Nothing gets me more excited about Christmas than the smell of sugar cookies baking in my oven! I love getting into the Christmas spirit by baking holiday sweets like cookies, cakes, candies, and bread. I bake throughout December because my oven’s delicious smells make me feel so festive!
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
From trusty pots and pans to handy gadgets, I’ve curated a list of products I use and love.
I always try my best to be organized, starting on Sunday with a decked-out grocery list, but I never fail to head back to the store on more than one occasion during the week. I can’t be the only one, am I right?
Making cookie plates for family and friends is one of my highlights during the holiday season. I like to make things that may not be on everyone else’s holiday treat plate.
I like to include these Christmas sugar cookie bars. They’re festive and delicious, and the kids love them.
What I love about sugar cookie bars is that they are easy to make. There is no cutting out shapes or waiting for the four dozen cookies to make and cool.
Instead, you have these sugar cookie bars that bake all at once. And you end up with these thick, perfectly soft, and topped with an avalanche of frosting cookie bars. They remind me of Lofthouse sugar cookies, which are homemade and easy to make.
Impress your friends and family with these delicious Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars this holiday season. Not only are they easy to make, but they also taste delicious and will get everyone into the festive spirit. I wish you all a very Happy Holiday season. XOXO San
Ingredients for sugar cookie bars
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Salted butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Almond extract or clear vanilla extract
- Green food coloring
- Red food coloring
Frosting
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Optional – Almond extract or clear vanilla extract
How do you make sugar cookie bars?
So let’s get baking; Christmas has never tasted so good!
Baker note: If you want thinner cookie bars, halve the recipe or bake them in a larger pan – remember to adjust the baking time!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 pan with parchment paper.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl, then set it aside.
Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Slowly add the flour mixture with the mixer on low until combined.
Separate the dough into two small bowls. In one, stir in 6 drops of green food coloring. If you want a darker shade, add more food until it’s mixed in well. Repeat with the remaining dough and red food coloring, spreading the colored dough on top of the green dough.
At this point, you can either layer the two colors or make more of a tie-dye look. I layered the dough when I first made this recipe (see below).
We prefer the tie-dye method now. To make a tie-dye effect, place large spoonfuls of dough randomly in the pan (see below).
Once you have added all the dough to the pan, evenly distribute it without over-blending the colors.
Bake for 22-28 minutes. Test at 20 minutes with a toothpick in the center and again at 25 minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean, the sugar cookie bars are done cooking.
Allow the sugar cookie bars to cool completely before frosting.
Cream the confectioners’ sugar and butter until smooth to make the frosting. Spread over cooled sugar cookie bars. Top with sprinkles. Cut, serve, and devour.
Our favorite Christmas treats for the holidays
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Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons clear almond extract or clear vanilla extract
- 6 drops green food coloring
- 6 drops red food coloring
Frosting
- 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 cup butter room temp
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract or clear vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13″ x 9″ pan with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in almond extract.
- Then with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Evenly divide dough into two small mixing bowls.
- In one bowl add 6 drops of green food coloring, stir to mix in the coloring. Continue to mix in more green food coloring until you get the color you desire.
- In the other bowl add 6 drops of red food coloring, stir to mix in the coloring. Continue to mix in more red food coloring until you get the color you desire.
- Spread the dough to the prepared pan, I added the green first but you could do either one. Then add the remaining dough on top and spread, this was red for me.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Test at 20 minutes with a toothpick to check the baking process, then recheck at 25 minutes. Tester should come out clean when bars are done baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, cream together the confectioner’s sugar and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and almond or vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Spread over cookie bars.
- Top with sprinkles. Cut, serve, and devour. Happy Holidays!
Video
Love the colored layers!! So pretty without the work of cutting sugar cookies!
These are so fun! I love them!
So fun and festive! Love these!
These colors are SO fun! My kids would love them!
These bars look so delicious and perfect for the holidays!
This is such a pretty cake, so perfect for Christmas!
So festive and fun! So creative!
Can you freeze these cookies frosted?
I think I’ll make the layers blue and orange and decorate with candy olafs. My family is sensitive to red food coloring.
Do you use salted butter or unsalted?
This is really colorful cake :). I will keep it in mind for my upcoming birthday
My kids will love these!! They look like so much fun!
I love the bold color on these! These are so great for any holiday party!
I am always a fan of a fun and festive treat! Even better when they taste great!
These bars are absolutely wonderful!!
I can’t wait to try these!! They look SO good!! YUM!
These are darling! I had a neighbor growing up who made something a lot like this. Thanks for sharing!
https://t.co/yBpt5yj7N9
I love the bold colors in these bars! These will be the perfect for my cookie exchange this year.
Thank you! They are perfect gifts. Enjoy!
Adding these to my baking line up for the holidays! Look too delicious to pass up, indeed!
Cookie bars are so easy to make! This is a really cute idea too. I would love to try these.
Thank you, enjoy!
These bars are so festive! Will be fun making them!
Enjoy!
Love the red & green cookie base! SO CUTE!
Thank you Cathy!
These look so good! What a fun twist on a classic! It would be fun to make with kids!
Thank you! The kids definitely love these. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Of course! Once you cut and frost them they will be best if eaten within 3 days. If you leave them whole until ready to serve and frost right before serving they will last about a week in a tight container, or up to 3 months in the freezer. Enjoy!
These are gorgeous and look fun to make for Christmas!
Thank you!
Can you freeze these, unfrosted? How long would they keep?
I’d say they will keep up to 3 months in the freezer. If you wait to cut them they will last longer as well. They may dry out a little bit if you cut them before storing. Make sure they are well-sealed to prevent them from drying out. Enjoy!
I made these sugar cookie bars for Christmas.. I thought I followed directions exactly.. The dough was so thick I had trouble mixing in food coloring and spreading it in pan.. I made them anyway and iced them. They didn’t taste bad actually I liked them but I know something was wrong.. Any suggestions? My only thought is was 5 cups of flower right?
Hi Sally! The dough should be thick enough to hold its shape, like roll-out sugar cookie dough. If it was much thicker than that, I would check ingredients or make sure you didn’t overmix the dough. 5 cups of flour is correct, did you add all 4 eggs and 2 sticks of butter?
Thank you so much for answering. I’m pretty sure I added the right amounts. Maybe I over mixed. I will definitely try this recipe again. Thanks again
Of course! It should definitely be thicker, almost like play-doh consistency but not quite. To spread in the pan just press it down with your fingers. Let us know how it turns out next time!
Aw, these are so happy and cheerful and festive, LOVE them!
Thank you!
These look absolutely delicious, I will be making them with the kids this weekend!
That sounds like a fun treat for the kids! Enjoy!
The perfect Christmas treat!
It truly is!
This is so much easier than making the regular cookies, I love this recipe!
Thank you!
Such a colorful dessert! I would like to have it for Christmas!
Thank you!
I made them! Delectable and oh so pretty and festive!
I’m so glad you liked them!
What a great treat to serve for the holidays! Adding this to my baking line up; looks too good to pass up!
I hope you enjoy it!
This was the perfect treat, I absolutely loved it!
These look so colorful and festive. I will be making these with my kids this weekend!
Such an amazing treat! Can’t wait to make this!
Sugar cookie bars sound like a delightful twist on the classic sugar cookies! The ease of baking these in bar form while still enjoying that wonderful sugar cookie taste is genius!
Oh wow! These are fantaaastic! A must make for the holidays!
Such an amazing treat for Christmas!! YUM!
I made these today..I cut the almond extract in half and it is plenty I was afraid 2 teaspoons would be too much..vanilla yes but almond extract is so much stronger..I checked at 20 definitely not done went 25 min and seemed perfect. After frosting them I cut in to them to serve them ,they seemed dry..I ended up cutting and throwing all of the edges out..just curious if anyone else had the problem with them being dry? But great recipe!! fun to make thank you for sharing!
What size of pan did you use?
Agreed. I’m not sure what happened. I have made these three years in a row. The first year moist and yummy. Like a cookie. Added to my must have recipes. Last year turned out very dry. Was disappointed. Tried again this year and the same thing. Was going to the comments for help here. I’m not sure what is happening. Exact ingredients and didn’t over mix. I did a 9×13 pan each year. Please help. Thank you!
Oh goodness, so it worked and then didn’t work. How are you measuring your flour? What was the temp (soft? melted? hard?) of the butter?