Description
Christmas sugar cookie bars blend festive joy with buttery sweetness, creating a delightful dessert perfect for holiday gatherings. Rich vanilla notes and colorful sprinkles make these bars a cheerful treat that brings smiles to everyone’s faces.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups 1/2 butter, room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
Flavor Enhancers:
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
Optional Finishing Ingredients:
- 3–4 tablespoons heavy cream
- Food coloring (optional)
- Sprinkles (optional)
- Dash of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the center of the oven.
- Prepare a half sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper, ensuring complete coverage with slight overhang for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder until thoroughly combined and free of lumps.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy, creating a smooth base for the cookie dough.
- Incorporate eggs and extracts into the butter mixture, mixing for 1-2 minutes until fully integrated and slightly aerated.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined to prevent overmixing and maintain a tender texture.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared sheet pan, pressing it evenly across the surface using clean hands or a spatula.
- Use a floured rolling pin to smooth the dough, ensuring an even thickness across the entire pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, with 18 minutes being the optimal time, until edges are lightly golden and center is set but still soft.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat butter in a clean mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes until creamy and smooth.
- Gradually add powdered sugar, salt, and extracts, mixing slowly and adding cream as needed to achieve a spreadable consistency.
- Adjust frosting color with food coloring if desired, and spread evenly over cooled cookie base.
- Decorate with sprinkles immediately after frosting for maximum adherence.
Notes
- Customize Texture Ensure butter is softened at room temperature for smoother, more evenly mixed cookie dough that spreads perfectly in the sheet pan.
- Prevent Sticking Use parchment paper with slight overhang for easy removal and clean cutting of cookie bars.
- Achieve Perfect Bake Watch cookies closely around 15-minute mark to avoid over-browning, checking for golden edges as doneness indicator.
- Flexible Frosting Experiment with different extract flavors like almond or peppermint to create unique taste variations in frosting.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg