These soft, chewy Christmas sugar cookie bars are quick to prepare—no chilling, no rolling—and still easy to turn into festive shapes. Cut into triangles and pipe frosting for little Christmas trees, or simply spread buttercream and add sprinkles. They’re flavorful, tender, and a holiday favorite.
Frosted sugar cookies are a classic holiday treat, but traditional cutouts can be time-consuming and often turn out dry. These Christmas sugar cookie bars deliver the same festive look with far less effort and a soft, chewy texture that stays tender.
Why We Love These Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
These bars are perfect for busy holiday kitchens and family baking sessions. Kids love decorating, and because the bars are soft and easy to work with, decorating becomes fun instead of a chore. The addition of cream cheese in the dough keeps the bars moist and flavorful.
Key features:
- Easy to prepare with simple steps
- No chilling or rolling required
- Soft, chewy sugar cookie flavor
- Great for decorating with kids
- Freeze well for make-ahead gifting
Ingredient Notes
- Vanilla bean paste gives a deeper vanilla flavor; vanilla extract works if you don’t have the paste.
- This recipe uses all-purpose flour. Gluten-free flours were not tested.
- Use full-fat cream cheese for best texture and flavor.
Ways to Vary This Recipe
- Fold 2–3 tablespoons of sprinkles into the dough for confetti bars.
- Swap almond extract for peppermint extract for a minty twist.
- Add white chocolate chips to the dough.
- Mix and match frosting colors for a decorating party.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3–5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the eggs, vanilla bean paste (or extract), almond extract, and softened cream cheese. Beat until fully combined.
Step 3: Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Keep mixing to a minimum so the bars stay tender.
Step 5: Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment and press the sticky dough evenly into the pan. Lightly spraying hands or laying a sheet of parchment over the dough helps with pressing.
Step 6: Bake 17–22 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set. The center may look slightly underbaked—this is fine, it will firm up as it cools. Cool completely before frosting.
Step 7: For the frosting, beat softened butter until creamy. Add vanilla, a pinch of sea salt, and the almond extract. Slowly add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Step 8: Add green gel food coloring to reach the desired shade (about 5 drops for the photos). If piping trees, you may need slightly thinner frosting—add a touch more cream.
Step 9: For classic bars: frost and top with sprinkles, then let the buttercream set before cutting. For Christmas trees: remove the cooled slab from the pan using the parchment tabs, trim the ends, cut into rows, then slice diagonally back and forth to form triangles.
Step 10: Pipe the buttercream using a piping bag or a plastic bag with the tip cut to create rows, swirls, or tree branches. Decorate with sprinkles, let set, and serve.
Recipe Tips
Room temperature butter and cream cheese should feel slightly cool to the touch and not greasy or melted—about 65°F–67°F internally.
Do not overbake. Remove the bars when the edges just start to turn golden. The center can look a bit underdone; it will set as it cools.
Weigh ingredients for consistency. Measuring flour by weight reduces the risk of too-dry or greasy bars.
Sprinkle caution: Naturally dyed sprinkles can bleed and some metallic-colored sprinkles may darken during baking—choose colors carefully.
Storage
Store frosted bars at room temperature in an airtight container for 3–4 days; they often become even softer after a day. Refrigerate for 5–6 days and bring to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.
To freeze, freeze unfrosted bars in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. If freezing after frosting, freeze in a single layer until set (about an hour), then stack with parchment between layers.
Common Questions
Dry, crumbly bars usually come from too much flour (often from inaccurate measuring), overmixing after adding dry ingredients, or overbaking. Weigh flour when possible. If measuring by cup, stir the flour, spoon it into the cup, and level it off. Pull the bars when the edges just begin to brown.
Greasy bars can result from butter that was too warm at the start or from using too little flour. Ensure butter and cream cheese are at proper room temperature and measure ingredients accurately.
Overmixing after adding the dry ingredients can develop gluten and make the bars tough. Incorrect amounts of leavening agents can also affect texture.
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Bars:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (312 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼–½ tsp salt
- 1⅓ cups sugar (267 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
Frosting:
- ½ cup butter, softened (increase if piping trees)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (add more for thicker frosting)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract (or peppermint extract)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1–2 Tbsp heavy cream, more as needed
- Green gel food coloring
- Holiday sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and cream cheese; beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix until no streaks of flour remain. If adding sprinkles to the dough, fold them in with the last bit of dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
- Press and bake: Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment and press dough evenly into the pan. Bake 17–22 minutes, until edges turn light golden. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Beat softened butter until creamy. Add vanilla, sea salt, and almond extract. Slowly add powdered sugar, then add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until fluffy. Add green gel for color; add extra cream if piping trees.
- Assemble: For classic bars, spread frosting and top with sprinkles, then let set before cutting. For tree shapes, remove slab from pan, trim ends, cut rows and then diagonally to form triangles, and pipe frosting to decorate.
- Serve: Allow frosting to set, then serve and enjoy.
Notes
*Aim for right when the edges begin to brown—about 17–18 minutes worked best for this batch. If the top and center brown, the bars will be too dry.
**If piping trees, double the frosting quantities: 2 sticks butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, 4–5 Tbsp heavy cream, pinch sea salt, green coloring, and sprinkles. This yields enough to pipe about 24 trees.
Storage: Room temperature in an airtight container for 3–4 days, refrigerated for 5–6 days (bring to room temp before serving). Freeze unfrosted for up to 3 months; if freezing after frosting, freeze in a single layer until set and separate layers with parchment.
Room temperature tips: Butter and cream cheese should feel slightly cool and not greasy—about 65°F–67°F internally.
Nutrition
Calories: 254 kcal, Carbohydrates: 33 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 13 g (approximate)
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.