Easy Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars with Buttercream

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are the perfect holiday dessert when you want the flavor of classic Christmas cookies without spending hours rolling, cutting, and decorating individual cookies. These festive bars have a soft, chewy sugar cookie base filled with colorful red and green sprinkles, then they are finished with a creamy vanilla buttercream frosting and even more holiday sprinkles.

This easy Christmas dessert is especially convenient for parties, cookie exchanges, school celebrations, and family gatherings. Everything is baked in one 9×13-inch pan, and the cookie layer takes only about 12 to 14 minutes in the oven. Once cooled and frosted, the pan can be cut into about 24 festive bars.

Why These Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars Are a Holiday Favorite

Traditional cut-out sugar cookies are beautiful, but they require several extra steps. You may need to chill the dough, roll it out, cut shapes, transfer the cookies to baking sheets, and decorate them individually.

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars simplify the entire process. The dough is mixed, pressed directly into a baking pan, baked, cooled, and topped with buttercream.

The result is a dessert with everything people love about holiday sugar cookies: a buttery vanilla flavor, soft center, slightly chewy texture, creamy frosting, and colorful Christmas sprinkles.

They are also easy to transport. Instead of worrying about delicate decorated cookies breaking inside a container, you can cut these holiday cookie bars into neat squares and arrange them on a platter or in a festive cookie box.

Another advantage is that you can customize their appearance. Keep the frosting white for a snowy Christmas look, tint it red or green, or divide the buttercream into different colors for a more decorative dessert tray.

Ingredients That Make These Holiday Cookie Bars Delicious

The ingredients for Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are simple baking staples, but each one contributes something important to the final texture and flavor.

For the Sugar Cookie Base

• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness while helping create the classic sugar cookie texture.
• Powdered sugar: Gives the cookie layer a softer, more tender consistency.
• Butter: Provides rich flavor and helps create a chewy, buttery cookie base.
• Vanilla extract: Adds the familiar warm vanilla flavor associated with homemade sugar cookies.
• Eggs: Bind the ingredients together while adding moisture and structure.
• Baking powder: Gives the cookie bars a small amount of lift without making them cakey.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the buttery vanilla flavor.
• All-purpose flour: Creates the structure of the Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars and keeps them sturdy enough to slice.
• Red and green sprinkles: Add festive Christmas color throughout the cookie dough.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• Powdered sugar: Creates a smooth, sweet base for the frosting.
• Unsalted butter: Gives the buttercream its rich, creamy consistency.
• Heavy cream or milk: Helps loosen the frosting until it reaches a spreadable texture.
• Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the buttercream and complements the sugar cookie base.
• Salt: Prevents the frosting from tasting overly sweet.
• Christmas sprinkles: Add color, texture, and a festive finishing touch.

The original recipe uses a 9×13-inch pan and combines the soft sprinkle-filled base with vanilla buttercream before cutting the dessert into approximately 24 pieces.

Easy Ingredient Swaps

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are easy to customize with ingredients you already have.

Heavy cream produces a particularly rich buttercream, but regular milk can also be used. Begin with a small amount of liquid and gradually add more until the frosting spreads smoothly.

You can also change the sprinkles according to the occasion. Red and green are perfect for Christmas, but blue and white work beautifully for a winter theme.

If you prefer colored frosting, add a small amount of gel food coloring after preparing the buttercream. Gel coloring is useful because it creates stronger color without adding much extra liquid.

For the best-looking bars, choose jimmies rather than very tiny nonpareil sprinkles inside the dough. Jimmies are less likely to bleed color heavily while mixing.

How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Making these festive cookie bars is much easier than preparing traditional decorated sugar cookies.

1. Prepare the Baking Pan

Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

Make sure the entire bottom and corners are coated so the baked sugar cookie layer releases easily when sliced.

2. Cream the Butter and Sugars

Beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar and powdered sugar until the mixture looks lighter and fluffy.

Allowing the ingredients to cream properly helps distribute the butter and sugar evenly through the dough.

3. Add the Wet Ingredients

Mix in the vanilla extract and eggs until smooth.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl when necessary so no streaks of butter remain.

4. Finish the Sugar Cookie Dough

Add the baking powder and salt, then gradually mix in the all-purpose flour.

Stop mixing once the flour has been incorporated. Overmixing can encourage too much gluten development and make Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars firmer instead of soft and tender.

Gently fold in the red and green sprinkles.

5. Press the Dough into the Pan

Transfer the sugar cookie dough to the prepared pan.

Use a spatula or clean hands to press it into an even layer, making sure the dough reaches the corners.

An even layer is important because thin areas can bake faster than thicker sections.

6. Bake Until Just Done

Bake the bars for approximately 12 to 14 minutes.

Avoid waiting for the entire surface to become deeply golden. Sugar cookie bars are best when they remain soft, so removing them before they become overbaked helps preserve their chewy texture.

The original recipe specifically recommends avoiding overbaking and letting the cookie layer cool completely before frosting.

7. Make the Vanilla Buttercream

Beat the softened butter until creamy and slightly lighter in color.

Gradually add the powdered sugar, then mix in the vanilla, salt, and heavy cream or milk.

Start with less liquid and add more only if necessary. The buttercream should be creamy enough to spread easily but thick enough to hold its shape on the bars.

Continue beating until light and fluffy.

8. Frost and Decorate

Make sure the cookie base is completely cool before adding frosting.

Spread the vanilla buttercream evenly over the surface, then immediately scatter Christmas sprinkles over the frosting so they stick.

If you frost warm cookie bars, the buttercream can soften or melt, so patience at this stage makes a noticeable difference.

9. Slice and Serve

Cut the Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars into squares or rectangles.

For a standard party-size serving, you can divide the pan into about 24 pieces. For cookie trays with several different desserts, cut them into smaller bite-size squares.

Secrets for Perfect Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

The biggest secret to great Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars is avoiding overbaking. Because the cookie layer is relatively thin, even a few additional minutes can change the texture.

Check the bars near the lower end of the baking time. The center should look set rather than wet, but the bars do not need to become dark golden brown.

Room-temperature butter also matters. Butter that is too cold will not cream properly with the sugars, while melted butter can change the structure of the dough.

Measure the flour carefully. Adding too much flour is one of the easiest ways to create dry cookie bars. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level the top instead of packing it firmly into the cup.

Allow the cookie base to cool completely before decorating. This protects the smooth texture of the buttercream.

For especially neat slices, chill the finished pan briefly before cutting. The source recipe suggests placing the bars in the freezer for about five minutes or refrigerating them for roughly 20 minutes before slicing.

Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts for bakery-style squares.

Fun Ways to Customize Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

One reason Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars work so well for holiday baking is that the basic recipe can easily take on different festive looks.

Classic Red and Green

Use red and green jimmies in the dough and finish the white vanilla buttercream with matching sprinkles.

This version is simple, colorful, and ideal for Christmas cookie trays.

Snowy Winter Bars

Skip the red sprinkles and use white, silver, and blue decorations.

Keep the frosting white or tint it pale blue for a winter-themed dessert.

Grinch-Inspired Cookie Bars

Use green sprinkles in the dough, color the buttercream green, and decorate each square with a small red heart sprinkle.

The original recipe also suggests this variation as a fun way to transform the basic bars into Grinch-themed holiday treats.

Extra Vanilla Version

If you love strong vanilla flavor, use a quality pure vanilla extract in both the cookie layer and buttercream.

Vanilla is the primary flavor in these simple sugar cookie bars, so good-quality extract can make a noticeable difference.

What to Serve with Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are sweet and buttery, making them perfect alongside warm seasonal drinks.

Serve them with hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, freshly brewed coffee, a vanilla latte, or a cold glass of milk.

For a holiday dessert platter, combine them with gingerbread cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, peppermint brownies, shortbread, fudge, or chocolate-dipped pretzels.

The colorful buttercream and Christmas sprinkles make these bars especially useful for adding brightness to a dessert table filled with chocolate treats.

You can also package individual bars in small holiday treat bags for neighbors, teachers, coworkers, or Christmas party favors.

How to Store Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Proper storage helps preserve their soft texture.

Place frosted Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to three days. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to five days.

If refrigerating, allow the bars to sit at room temperature briefly before serving. This gives the butter and frosting time to soften and restores a more tender texture.

Can You Freeze Them?

Yes. For the best results, freeze the sugar cookie bars without frosting.

Once completely cooled, wrap the bars securely and place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them in the refrigerator, then prepare or add the vanilla buttercream before serving.

The recipe author specifically recommends freezing the bars unfrosted and allowing them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before decorating.

This makes Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars an excellent make-ahead dessert for a busy December schedule.

A Simple Dessert for Holiday Baking

Christmas baking does not have to involve complicated decorating techniques or hours in the kitchen. Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars deliver the familiar flavor and festive appearance of traditional sugar cookies in a much simpler format.

The soft sugar cookie base, colorful sprinkles, rich vanilla buttercream, and easy 9×13-inch preparation make them especially practical when you need a dessert for a crowd.

Whether you make them for Christmas Eve, a holiday party, a cookie exchange, or a homemade edible gift, these Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars offer an easy way to add something cheerful and delicious to the dessert table.

Bake them just until soft, let them cool completely, spread on plenty of creamy vanilla frosting, and finish with your favorite Christmas sprinkles. The result is a festive holiday treat that is easy to prepare, easy to share, and even easier to enjoy.

Conclusion

These Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are an easy and delicious way to bring a little extra sweetness to your holiday celebrations. With their soft, chewy sugar cookie base, creamy vanilla buttercream frosting, and colorful Christmas sprinkles, every bite tastes like a classic homemade sugar cookie without all the extra work.

Whether you’re preparing treats for a Christmas party, filling holiday cookie boxes, or baking something special with your family, this simple 9×13-inch dessert is always a wonderful choice. You can even make the cookie bars ahead of time and freeze them unfrosted to save time during the busy holiday season.

Make a batch, add your favorite festive sprinkles, and share these Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars with the people you love. They’re sure to become a holiday baking favorite!

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