Christmas Cookie Bars – Easy Sugar Cookie Bar Recipe With Sprinkles

Christmas cookie bars sit in that sweet spot between easy Christmas desserts and the kind of festive treats people remember long after the season ends. You bake them in one pan, spread on frosting, shower with holiday sprinkles, then cut into squares that fit right into trays or tins. That’s the advantage. You skip rolling and cutting, yet still serve something that feels special.

This sugar cookie bars recipe has the same flavor you expect from Christmas cookies but with less effort. You’ll learn how each ingredient shapes the texture and taste, why the frosting matters, and how to keep your bars soft with crisp edges. Confidence is key here, and this recipe will give you that.

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How Each Ingredient Matters in Christmas Cookie Bars

Butter sets the tone. I use unsalted sticks softened to room temperature because they cream smoothly with the sugars. The fat gives the bars flavor and keeps them tender after baking. Salted butter throws off the balance, so I prefer to control salt separately.

Brown sugar adds depth. It gives the cookie bar base a chewy texture and a light caramel note. Granulated sugar provides structure and just the right crisp on the edges. Together, they strike a balance between soft and sturdy.

Eggs hold the dough together and give the bars structure. Vanilla rounds out the flavor. I’ve tested different extracts, but a strong pure vanilla brings the warm bakery quality people associate with sugar cookie recipes.

All-purpose flour forms the base, while baking soda creates the lift that stops the bars from turning dense. A small amount of salt sharpens the sweetness. Semi-sweet chocolate chips scatter through the dough and give little bursts of richness in every slice.

For the frosting, butter is again the foundation. Powdered sugar lightens the texture, while milk or cream adjusts consistency. Vanilla and a pinch of salt give balance so the frosting doesn’t overwhelm. Finally, holiday sprinkles add the festive finish. Those red, green, and white specks are what transform plain sugar cookie bars into easy Christmas treats that belong on a dessert table.

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Butter or Shortening: A Practical Choice

In my notes, I once swapped part of the butter for shortening to see if it changed the bars. Shortening made the base softer, almost cake-like, and held the shape of the cut bars longer. Butter gave richer flavor and a chewier texture. My choice stays with butter because flavor wins in Christmas desserts, but if you need extra stability for shipping, shortening can be useful.

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Mixing the Cookie Bar Base

Start with butter and sugar. Creaming them well makes the bars light. It should look pale and fluffy before you add the eggs. That step is worth the patience. Adding eggs one at a time prevents the mixture from breaking. Stir in the vanilla at the end, and you’ll smell that warm sweetness right away.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Mixing them before adding to the wet base keeps the texture even. Folding in chocolate chips by hand avoids over-mixing. Overworked dough turns tough, so a gentle hand matters.

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Baking Sugar Cookie Bars Evenly

Spread the dough into a lined 9×13 pan. I smooth the top with a spatula so the bars bake evenly. At 350°F, they take about 24 minutes. The edges should look golden while the center stays set but soft. If the edges turn dark, the bars will dry. Let them cool in the pan before frosting. Patience here keeps the frosting from melting into the warm base.

This step always reminds me of making Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars. The difference is that those lean toward a pure sugar cookie flavor, while these bars carry more depth from chocolate chips.

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Frosting and Decorating for Festive Treats

The Vanilla Buttercream Frosting should be light but stable. Start by beating butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar slowly. A spoonful of milk or cream at a time helps control texture. Vanilla and salt sharpen the sweetness. Spread the frosting generously over the cooled bars.

Sprinkles matter as much as flavor. Red, green, and white ones signal the season, but you can mix in metallic stars or pearls for a different finish. I often set a tray beside Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies because the peppermint brightens the spread while the cookie bars give balance.

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Serving and Storing Sugar Cookie Bars

Cutting bars becomes cleaner if you chill them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before slicing. The frosting sets, and your knife glides through. For parties, I cut them into neat squares and arrange them with Christmas Kiss Sugar Cookies for variety.

Storage depends on timing. At room temperature, the bars last up to three days. In the refrigerator, five days. For long keeping, wrap un-frosted bars and freeze them for up to two months, then frost fresh before serving. This keeps the texture closer to when they were baked.

If you enjoy dips as part of your dessert spread, you can pair these with Sugar Cookie Dip. The creamy dip and the frosted bars play off one another for a fun serving idea at gatherings.

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A Closing Note for Holiday Bakers

Christmas cookie bars bring the flavor of classic Christmas cookies into one pan, ready to frost and decorate with Christmas sprinkles. They save time, hold their shape, and deliver the soft bite people expect from sugar cookie bars.

Save this recipe on Pinterest so you have it ready when December gets busy. And please share in the comments how these cookie bar recipes turned out for you. Did you keep the frosting simple, or did you go heavy on the festive treats? I’d love to hear what worked in your kitchen.

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