Sugar Cookie Bars (with Cream Cheese) ~ two sugar bugs

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The BEST sugar cookie bars! The cookie bars are filled with sprinkles, easy to make and are perfectly soft and chewy with a generous layer of buttercream!

stack of three sugar cookie bars with sprinkles

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Sugar cookie bars are always a win in my book. Especially when they are quick and easy, thick and chewy and filled with sprinkles! Sugar cookies are my weakness, my kryptonite, they render me utterly defenseless. I can say no to a brownie. A chocolate chip cookie, no problem. A piece of cake, getting weaker.....but a sugar cookie? No way, I cannot pass one up!

This post was originally published in September 2018 and has been updated with new photos and text. The recipe remains the same. Be sure to check out an original photo at the end of the post!

buttercream sugar cookie bars with sprinkles on parchment paper

why you will love this recipe

It is quick and easy!
No rolling of the dough and no chill time.
Yields enough cookie bars to serve a crowd.
Cream cheese adds a bit of tang and helps balance the sweetness.
Made with almond extract, which gives them a little something special.
Filled with sprinkles!
Easy to customize to any holiday or special event; use red and green for Christmas, pastel sprinkles for Easter, green and white for St. Patrick's Day, red/pink/white for Valentine's Day, your favorite team colors...you get the idea. Or leave them without sprinkles if that's more your thing!

ingredients needed for these cookie bars

This recipe was inspired from a Lofthouse sugar cookie copycat recipe that a friend gave me. Her recipe used shortening, which I don't use much of in my kitchen. After tinkering with the recipe over the years, I found that the addition of cream cheese helps keep the sugar cookie bars super soft and chewy without shortening.

butter, cream cheese, sugars, extracts, egg, sprinkles and leaveners

tips for making soft and chewy sugar cookie bars

Be careful not to over bake these bars. You are going to question yourself when you pull them out of the oven. They are going to look a little underdone, but this is how you get a soft cookie bar versus a soft cake-like bar.
Allow the bars to cool completely before you frost them.
Use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line the pan. This makes it easier to pull the bars out of the pan for frosting and cutting.
To get the cleanest cuts; use a sharp knife that you wipe clean between each cut. Chilling the bars also helps with this.

a floating sugar cookie bar with milk and sprinkles blurred underneath

let's bake these bars!

To start, preheat your oven and prepare a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper {or aluminum foil}, leaving a little overhang on the long sides. Then whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Now you will cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese until they are well blended {I use my KitchenAid stand mixer}. Next add the granulated and confectioners' sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes; until pale and fluffy. Then add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and beat until well combined.

butter and cream cheese mixed together in a mixing bowl

fluffy texture of butter, cream cheese and sugars mixed together in the mixing bowl

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and blend until just combined. Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula, if using. Be sure to use the “jimmies” for your sprinkles as the nonpareil type can bleed and turn your batter an unappetizing color.

sprinkles on top of sugar cookie bar dough

mixed sugar cookie bar dough in mixing bowl

Drop the dough into the prepared pan and press the dough into an even layer using a spatula or lightly moistened fingers. The dough will be thick and somewhat sticky. {I often use alligator clips to hold the parchment paper in place. Be sure to remove them before baking!}

sugar cookie batter dropped in large spoonfuls in parchment lined pan

sugar cookie batter spread out in parchment lined pan

what is the ideal bake time?

To achieve a soft and chewy {not cakey} texture, you want to bake these bars until they are just set at the edges {very lightly browned} and the center no longer looks wet. This is typically around 14-15 minutes in my oven. Remember, my oven is different than yours and our baking times may be different. I would recommend doing your initial check at 12 minutes.

If you prefer a more cake-like sugar cookie bar; bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.

baked sugar cookie bars showing barely browned edges

With frosting or no frosting?

Not gonna lie, adding the buttercream frosting is part of why I love these cookie bars. I also know not everyone is #teamfrostingforlife like me.

These sugar cookie bars are definitely sweet, although tempered by the addition of cream cheese. I add a pinch of kosher salt to the buttercream to also help balance the sweetness of the buttercream. But you do you, leave them without frosting if that's more your thing!

cut sugar cookie bars on parchment paper with extra sprinkles

how to store sugar cookie bars

Sugar cookie bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They also freeze very well for up to 3 months. I chill them first and then stack them in an airtight container. Eat them from frozen or allow them to come to room temperature.

over head look at sugar cookie bars with sprinkles and milk

Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more recipes with sprinkles to try

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

Yield: 20 - 24 cookie bars