Patriotic Sugar Cookie Bars (Printable Version)
Buttery sugar cookie bars finished with red, white, and blue frosting and festive sprinkles for July 4th.
# What You Need:
→ Sugar Cookie Bars
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 and blue gel food coloring
→ Decoration
13 - Red, white, and blue sprinkles
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
02 - In a large bowl, beat together softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Incorporate eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
05 - Gradually mix dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
06 - Evenly press the dough into the prepared baking pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges turn lightly golden and the center sets. Avoid overbaking.
08 - Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually blend in powdered sugar, then mix in vanilla extract and heavy cream. Whip on high for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
10 - Divide the frosting into three bowls. Leave one plain, tint one bowl red, and one bowl blue with gel food coloring.
11 - Dollop spoonfuls of each colored frosting over cooled bars. Gently swirl with an offset spatula for a marbled effect or frost in sections for striped appearance.
12 - Immediately sprinkle red, white, and blue sprinkles over frosting.
13 - Cut into 24 bars and serve.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The bars are so much easier than rolling out individual cookies but taste just as buttery.
- Swirling the colorful frosting on top is honestly almost as fun as eating them.
02 -
- If you try to frost before the bars cool fully, the colors melt together and look muddy.
- Switching from liquid to gel food coloring was a game changer for bold Fourth of July colors.
03 -
- For bakery-style bars, tap the pan gently on the counter to smooth the dough before baking.
- Chill the frosted bars briefly to make slicing ultra-clean squares for your dessert platter.