Patriotic Sugar Cookie Bars (Printable)
Buttery sugar cookie bars with tri-color frosting and sprinkles—festive for Fourth of July gatherings.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Sugar Cookie Bar Base
01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
05 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
06 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Frosting
08 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
11 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 - Red gel food coloring
13 - Blue gel food coloring
→ Decoration
14 - Red, white, and blue sprinkles
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
02 - In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in pure vanilla extract.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
05 - Gradually mix dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Transfer dough into prepared baking pan. Smooth the surface evenly with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until edges are lightly golden and center is set; avoid overbaking.
08 - Allow cookie bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - In a medium bowl, beat unsalted butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar. Mix in vanilla extract and heavy cream or milk. Whip on high until frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
10 - Divide frosting evenly into three bowls. Leave one portion plain, tint one with red gel food coloring, and one with blue gel food coloring.
11 - Dollop spoonfuls of each color frosting across cooled bars. Gently swirl with an offset spatula for a marbled design or frost in stripes. Immediately top with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
12 - Slice evenly into 24 bars and serve.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- You get all the soft, buttery goodness of sugar cookies with none of the rolling or cookie cutters.
- You can swirl on frosting in minutes and make them pop with sprinkles for instant party magic.
02 -
- Overbaking dries out these bars and steals their soft texture—start checking at 18 minutes, not a second later.
- The difference between okay and irresistible frosting is beating it long enough; stop too early and it's just dense.
03 -
- If you want extra almond flavor, a splash of almond extract is a crowd-pleaser.
- Sift your powdered sugar—it genuinely makes a world of difference to avoid lumpy frosting.