These Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting are the perfect way to tell someone you love and appreciate them this Valentine’s Day. Sweet and festive with holiday sprinkles on top, everyone will be in a wonderful mood when they see what’s for dessert!
Sort of a cross between a cake and cookie with luscious white chocolate buttercream frosting, these Sugar Cookie Bars will be a family favorite from the first bite.
L: Raw cookie dough pressed into pan; R: Fresh from the oven lightly browned on top
I love how easy and quick these bar cookies are to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool before frosting them! Your kids would love to help, especially patting them into a layer in the pan before baking.
These bar cookies are good all year long – just change the decorations and sprinkles you use to suit a specific event or holiday. Because they are white on white, they work well with any combination of colors. Kids will love these for their birthday parties.
I think they taste even better on the second day after resting in an airtight container overnight. This frees you up to focus on other aspects of the event on the day of and still delight everyone with a fun and delicous dessert!
One of my secret weapons in baking is a flavoring called Fiore di Sicilia from King Arthur Flour. It has a lovely flavor and fragrance, a cross between citrus and vanilla. Buy a bottle and give it a try – I bet you will love its haunting aroma.
When working with gluten-free flour blends, each one has a different weight per cup that vary widely. Always whisk the flour, use a spoon to add the flour to a measuring cup without a spout, and use the back of a knife to level off the top. Weigh the flour left in the cup and use that weight in calculating your recipes.
My gluten-free flour recipe weighs 120 grams per cup, the same as most American all-purpose flours. If you are using wheat-based all-purpose flour (regular AP flour, not King Arthur or Bob’s 1-to-1!), use the 120 grams per cup as listed in my recipes.
When you’re baking the bar cookies, be careful not to over bake them. They should be barely golden on the top of the ridges (from your fingers) when you pull them out of the oven. Leave them on a wire rack in the pan to cool completely before frosting them.
The frosting is so lovely, a delightful topping for these luscious cookies. Be sure to sprinkle the decorations on as soon as they are frosted so they will stick.
The frosting will stay soft for quite a while. When cutting into bars, be sure to run the knife under hot water, wipe dry, and make your cut. Then repeat the heating and wiping dry before making your next cut. This gives you very neat and clean slices, for the best presentation of these sugar cookie bars.
I love the chewiness of the cookies with the creamy frosting – they are the perfect combination of flavors and textures. It is hard to stop at just one!
Make these Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting for your next event, holiday, or special occasion. They are the perfect way to celebrate everything, one that the whole family will love!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting:
- Cookie Dough: butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla or other flavoring, flour, salt, baking powder
- Frosting: butter, powdered sugar, white chocolate, vanilla, salt, milk
PRO Tip:
To easily and safely bring eggs to room temperature is to fill a bowl with very hot tap water. Place the whole eggs (in their shells) into the water and leave for about 10 minutes to warm up. Dry off the eggs and use as directed in the recipe.
How to make Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting:
- Make the Cookie Dough: Cream the butter and sugar together with your electric mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl thoroughly, then mix in the vanilla or other flavoring.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add half the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture until fully incorporated, then add remaining dry ingredients and blend them in.
- Press the dough into a parchment lined 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan, leaving two ends of the parchment hanging over to act as a sling to lift out the baked cookie bar. Use the bottom of a measuring cup for the smoothest surface.
- Bake the Cookie Dough: Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes or until just lightly browned. Do not over bake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely in the pan.
- Make the Frosting: Beat the butter with your electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and scrape the bowl. Then beat in the melted and cooled white chocolate, vanilla, salt, and 1 tbsp of the milk. Mix until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar until you have a spreadable consistency.
- Frost the Bar Cookies: Using the parchment, lift the cooled bar cookie out of the pan and place on a work surface. Spread the frosting over the sugar cookie bar and decorate with desired sprinkles. Cut into 20 bars.
PRO Tip:
If you don’t have kosher salt and are using table salt, use half the amount called for in recipes or to taste. Likewise, if you are using salted butter, cut the extra salt in half to compensate.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Parchment paper sheets
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Offset spatula
- Long, sharp knife
Gluten-Free Tips:
* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more specific than pounds and ounces.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting (GF)
Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Frosting are the perfect way to tell someone you love and appreciate them This Valentine's Day. Sweet and festive with holiday sprinkles on top, everyone will be in a wonderful mood when they see what's for dessert!
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks; 170g) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature (See Note below)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp lemon extract or 1/8 to 1/4 tsp Fiore di Sicilia flavoring* from King Arthur Flour
- 2-1/2 cups (300g**) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend** or regular all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum - only if your GF flour doesn't already contain it
Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) softened butter
- 2 cups (227g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup (85g) white chocolate chips or chopped, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 to 3 tbsp milk, as needed
- Sprinkles for holiday or festivity, optional
Instructions
1. Line a 9×13-inch (23x33 cm) baking pan with parchment and lightly butter the parchment paper; butter any exposed surfaces of the baking pan. Leave two ends extended above the edges to create a sling which you'll use to lift the baked cookie bars for cutting and serving. Set the pan aside.
2. Make the Cookie Dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, and then beat the eggs in one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions, and before adding in the vanilla extract. The mixture will look curdled but will smooth out when you add the dry ingredients in the next step.
3. In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk in the xanthan if using. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture half at a time, mixing after each addition.
4. Scoop the dough into the parchment-lined baking pan and pat into an even layer. Use the bottom of a measuring cup for the smoothest surface.
5. Bake the Cookie Bars: Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180°C) and bake for 20 minutes or until the cookie is just lightly browned. Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan.
6. Make the Frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of your mixer and beat it lightly until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar, then beat in the melted white chocolate, vanilla, salt, and 1 tbsp of the milk. Mix until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar to make it spreadable and get it to the consistency you want for frosting the sugar cookie bars. Mix on medium speed to smooth out any lumps of sugar.
7. Using the parchment, lift the bar cookie out of the pan and set on a work surface. Spread the frosting over the sugar cookie, being sure to cover it all the way to the edges, and decorate with desired sprinkles. Cut it into 20 bars (cut fewer for larger pieces or more for smaller pieces).
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days and refrigerate for up to a week. Freeze unfrosted bar cookies for longer storage.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* Here is the link to buy Fiore di Sicilia flavoring from King Arthur Flour.
* * You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
To easily warm eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of very hot tap water, in their shells, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
If you don't have kosher salt and are using table salt, use half the amount called for in the recipe, or to taste.
Adapted recipe from Moore or Less Cooking
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 117Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post:
Create a New Tradition Today!
Welcome! The suggestions here are not intended as dietary advice or as a substitute for consulting a dietician, physician, or other medical professional. Please see the Disclaimers/Privacy Policy page for additional details. Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material from The Heritage Cook without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, please contact me. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without any additional cost to you. This page may contain affiliate links. The author makes no claims regarding the presence of food allergens and disclaims all liability in connection with the use of this site.
