Sugar Cookie Bars

Recipe from “American Girl Cookies”

Adapted by Margaux Laskey

Sugar Cookie Bars
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
40 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
5(5,312)
Notes
Read community notes

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

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Ingredients

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

    For the Bars

    • 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
    • 2¾cups/350 grams all-purpose flour
    • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1(8-ounce/225-gram) package cream cheese, at room temperature
    • 1½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
    • 1large egg
    • 2teaspoons vanilla extract

    For the Frosting

    • 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (¾ stick), at room temperature
    • 2cups/245 grams confectioners’ sugar
    • 1tablespoon milk or heavy cream, plus more as needed
    • 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract, plus more as needed
    • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
    • A drop or two of gel food coloring (optional)
    • Assorted sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (20 servings)

332 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 129 milligrams sodium

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.

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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.

Ratings

5 out of 5
5,312 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

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)

Terry

Made them as per recipe. The cream cheese gives them a velvety quality I hadn’t experienced in a cookie before. And The tartness from the lemon really balances the frosting nicely. Delicious! I had a slightly underdone center. It wasn’t bad enough to stop us from eating them. My edges were just golden, but my toothpick came out clean in three different places. I thought they might be overbaked based on the recipe description. Checked at 20 minutes, added 2. Will start checking at 25 next time

David

Many people had trouble spreading this dough. Once you have buttered and lined the pan, place it in the freezer until you are ready for it. Sticky doughs like this one are always easier to spread in a cold pan.

Maya

After making some adjustments based on the comments, these came out SO GOOD! I baked them for 40 minutes as 20-25 minutes wasn’t even close to enough time. I also halved the amount of powdered sugar called for in the icing, only using 1 cup rather than 2 cups as I saw comments saying they came out too sweet. With these adjustments, these were really amazing.

Allison R.

These are those frosted cookies people rave about from grocery stores!!! I think they’re better next day once they have had a good amount of time to set. Also, I used parchment over the top to spread evenly in the pan.

Aspasia

Kids loved it, I can’t fault it, but nothing spectacular. I tried putting in 50gr less sugar, but tasted the uncooked dough and it wasn’t sweet at all. I added the rest of the sugar in and it did need it. Put in about a generous pea size shape of gel food colouring and it was too much, they turned bubblegum pink, would use less next time to get the lovely pale hue in the photo. Would recommend eating upside down, so the frosting touches the top of the tongue instead of the top of the mouth.

Josh

Yes, most likely. This recipe specifies a baking PAN. In general, when following a recipe, a baking PAN is metal and a baking DISH is Pyrex or ceramic. Metal is a much more efficient conductor of heat, so yes, the bars would've taken less time to bake in a metal pan.

Isihir Bhan

I made this recipe as directed (using weights for ingredients), but halving all ingredients and using an 8x8 aluminum pan. I baked for 32 minutes given the comments about the recommended time being inadequate, and the cookies seemed to turn out fine (not too dry). They tasted like I imagined they would - simple, sweet, and well, like sugar cookies. I had no issues with undercooked dough and, while they were soft, I wouldn’t describe them as brownie-like.

s.martiny

Don’t try this with chocolate frosting. I used the best fudge frosting I ever made- to die for rich and creamy. It was completely wrong for the cream cheese cookie base. I think it probably needs the the sugary lemony topping recommended in the recipe for contrast. I’m putting it in the fridge overnight to see if that changes anything.

Beatrice

These are wonderful! Adding 1/2 tsp of almond extract to the mix is a must. I omitted lemon juice from the frosting, but I believe a bit of lemon zest in the dough could elevate this tasty but otherwise simple recipe into something exquisite. I definitely recommend making these; perhaps I will try a Christmas version for the holidays!

E

Just tossed nearly a whole batch. Cut the edges into tiny bite size pieces for people to eat. Way way too sweet (which is not usually an issue for me) and completely under baked. Baked for 25 minutes and should have trusted myself to leave them in the over longer, guessing an additional 10 minutes at least. Will try again because I love sugar cookies and frosting, would love to have a bar to substitute the individual cooking making.

Kathryn

I had a hard time spreading the batter in the pan. Finally used another piece of parchment paper on top and used it to spread the batter. Not much stuck to the sheet — much less than was sticking to the spatulas. Yummy cookies!!

oh!

i floured my fingers and pressed the batter into the pan since it was so thick

jennyO

Definitely needed to cook longer! I’ll try 35-40 next time. And subbing in some almond extract.

McKenna

Definitely needed longer in the oven than 20-25 minutes — had mine in for 30 and they were still undercooked. Good flavor though, I would add more salt to the frosting to combat the sweetness in the future.

melabadoo

As per comments, added the almond extract, smoothed the sticky dough with watered fingertips, and reduced confectioners sugar in frosting. I ate a gummie before I started baking, discovered a playlist of new music, and had the best time baking this treat for party tomorrow. I’d say this is one of your finest, NYTC xoxo

Anna

Meh, these were just ok. They had the texture of a lofthouse cookie but they were too tangy imo. I will not make again.

Jenny G

Not sure the fuss over this recipe, the bars were flavorless, would not make this again.

Valerie

I added matcha powder to the frosting (omitted the food coloring). Baked for 40 minutes (35 might have been better). They were delightful! Not sure I would have enjoyed them as much without the matcha.

Sydney

Delicious overall, although I agreed with many others that the recipe is far too sweet as is! I added 1 cup sugar to the dough which was perfect, and should have decreased the frosting sugar by 1 cup but did 2 cups.

Ginger Snap

I was happy to find this recipe because it does not require any baking soda or baking powder as leavening - I live at 7400 ft in the mountains of northern New Mexico and it always take two or more tries to get the leavening right. I made the bars for an Easter potluck, cut them into squares, and piped buttercream swirls on each square using four different pastel colors. Big hit with both the kids and the adults!

Abbie

Bake on the top rack! I put mine on the bottom rack because the recipe said it should be almost underbaked and I was afraid of overdoing it but they were woefully underbaked even after doing an extra ten minutes on the bottom rack.

CJ

I baked for 25 mins thinking they'd need longer as per other reviews; they did not and were in fact overbaked. Tasty but rather thick and cakey - wonder if baking for less time would help, but I would also be tempted to have the recipe for a thinner bar.

Nora

Took a tip from Eric Kim’s frosted sugar cookie recipe and used pulverized freeze dried strawberries to make the frosting pink instead of food dye. It added such a wonderful flavor to the end result!

Kurt

I added 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon zest to the frosting which added a nice but subtle lemon flavor.

Cheryl

Cakey and sweet, as expected, and very good. I made two changes--one by necessity and one by choice. Just barely an ounce short on the cream cheese, so I made up the difference with sour cream. Batter was thick but easy to spread with a small offset spatula. And instead of food coloring, I strained the seeds from some raspberry jam and added the jam to the frosting. Beautiful subtle pink color and a lovely, bright raspberry flavor. Omitted the lemon juice--no need.

Adrienne R

I baked these for a visiting friend's birthday dinner. They were very sweet, very tender, and very tasty. They reminded me a bit of the white side of a black and white cookie. Next time I will thin the icing a bit and cook the cookie a bit longer. I really like that just-turning-brown flavor in a sugar cookie. I'll make again, but cut into 1in squares- a perfect bite.

savory sweetie

Follow the directions exactly. Use a metal baking pan, not glass. Have ingredients at room temperature. Enjoy.

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Credits

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

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