These funfetti sugar cookie bars will easily satisfy that sweet tooth. The soft and chewy bars are topped with a sweet frosting that everyone will love.
Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bar Recipe
Sugar cookies for dessert are always a good idea. An even better idea is these funfetti sugar cookie bars. The bars take everything you love about a soft sugar cookie and turn it into a square bar that is ultra-easy to eat. The frosting is classic American buttercream, meaning it is super sweet.
What I love about these funfetti sugar cookie bars is they work for any situation. Bring them to a barbeque, send them to school for a sweet treat, or enjoy them after dinner for an easy dessert. They are easy to whip up and freeze super well!
Not only is this dessert easy to make, but it is also super customizable. The frosting can be turned any color of the rainbow. That means you can use red on Valentine's Day, orange for Halloween, and green for St. Patrick's Day. The sprinkles can also be swapped out for a certain color too!
No matter which color you choose to use, these bars will be a favorite after one bite!
Ingredients Needed To Make Funfetti Sugar Bars
See below for all the details on what you'll need to make the full recipe.
For The Sugar Cookie Bars
- Butter - leave out to soften.
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs - one egg, plus one egg yolk.
- Extract - both almond and vanilla extract are used in this recipe.
- Flour
- Cornstarch - keeps the bars chewy and soft.
- Baking soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Sprinkles - Avoid nonpareil sprinkles sprinkles as the color tends to run.
For The Frosting
- Butter - Softened.
- Powdered Sugar - More powdered sugar might be needed to balance out the sweetness.
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla
- Salt - Just a pinch to settle the flavor.
How To Make Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8x8 pan with grease or parchment.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set to the side.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, and add in the egg and egg yolk, continuing to mix. Add in the extracts and mix to combine.
- Combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in 2-3 parts to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
- Mix in the sprinkles. Using a spatula, fold in the sprinkles until they are evenly distributed.
- Bake. Place the mixture in the 8x8 pan and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Make the frosting. While the bars are baking, make the frosting. In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, combine all of the ingredients for the frosting in a bowl and mix. Add powdered sugar and food coloring as needed to get the desired sweetness and color.
- Frost the bars. When the bars are fully cool, frost the bars and top with sprinkles. Serve and enjoy!
Make-Ahead and Storage Recommendations
The bars and frosting can be made ahead of time. Don't frost the bars until you are going to serve them so they don't get soggy. The frosting can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until needed. It might stiffen up while sitting. If that happens, use your mixer to get the frosting to the right consistency.
Leftover funfetti sugar cookie bars can be stored in an airtight container for 4-6 days. The bars can also be frozen, even after being frosted. It is best to cut the bars into serving sizes and then freeze the individual pieces. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 months.
Tips and Variations
- Don't Leave Out The Almond Extract! It may seem like a random ingredient, but it is the secret weapon when it comes to these bars. It keeps the flavors balanced and adds that signature sugar cookie flavor.
- Customize Away! Feel free to use any color sprinkle in the bars. You can also add pieces of chocolate or chocolate chips on top of the bars for a chocolate twist.
- Allow The Bars To Cool. Don't rush the frosting process, and allow the bars to fully cool. If the bars are slightly warm when frosting, the frosting will just turn to mush and fall right off.
FAQs
No, the sugar cookie bars can be kept at room temperature once cooked. If you don't want the frosting to get too soft, place the bars in the fridge until you want to eat them.
The addition of cornstarch makes the cookie bars nice and soft.
If you find that the bars are somewhat hard, they probably were overcooked. Make sure the cookies have a nice golden brown color and a toothpick comes out clean to know when they are ready.
Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 oz, 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, plus one egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 1 cup sprinkles
Frosting
- 4 oz, half a stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 - 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8x8 baking pan with grease or pachment . Set to the side.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstrach, and salt. Mix to combine and set to the side.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar. Mix the two together for about 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add in the egg and egg yolk, mixing to combine. Add in the extracts and mix to combine.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the sprinkles. Make sure they are evenly divided.
- Add the sugar cookie bar dough to the pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- While the bars are baking, make the frosting. In a large bowl with a hand mixture or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Taste the frosting as you go along and adjust sweetness as needed by adding in more powdered sugar. Start with less and you can always add more. If using food coloring or sprinkles, add them in at the end. If the frosting is rather stiff, add in another teaspoon of heavy cream. Frost the bars when fully cool.
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