Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

These Christmas sugar cookie bars are soft, chewy, and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. An easy holiday dessert without rolling or cutting cookies!

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Frosted Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Christmas sugar cookie bars are the easiest way to get that classic soft sugar cookie flavor without chilling, rolling, or cutting dough. The bars bake in one pan, stay soft and chewy, and are topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting plus festive sprinkles.

If you love the base of my sugar cookie bars or enjoy decorating Christmas sugar cookies, this recipe gives you the best of both. Just mix, bake, frost, and slice into crowd-pleasing squares that fit perfectly on holiday cookie trays.

Why I Love This Recipe

• Easy holiday dessert. No rolling pins, cookie cutters, or chilling dough. Mix the dough in one bowl, bake in a 9×13 pan, frost, and slice into bars.
• Soft, thick, and chewy. The bars stay tender and buttery, with a fluffy layer of cream cheese frosting and sprinkles on top for the perfect festive bite.

Ingredients Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Salted butter: Adds flavor and moisture to both the bars and the frosting. Make sure it’s softened so it creams smoothly and helps create a tender crumb.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the bars and helps them bake up soft and chewy.
• Egg: Binds the dough and gives the bars structure once baked and sliced.
• Vanilla + almond extract: Used in both the bars and the frosting. Vanilla adds warmth, while a touch of almond gives that classic bakery-style sugar cookie flavor.
• Sour cream: Keeps the bars extra soft and moist without making them cakey.
• Flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt: The dry ingredients that help the bars rise lightly and stay tender.
• Cream cheese + salted butter: Whipped with powdered sugar to make a fluffy, tangy cream cheese frosting that balances the sweetness.
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting until smooth and spreadable.

How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars

Start by creaming the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy then mix in the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and sour cream. In a separate bowl whisk dry ingredients then add to the wet and mix just until combined.

Press the soft dough into a buttered 9×13 pan. It will be a little sticky, so use a spatula or parchment to smooth the top. Bake until the edges turn lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely so the frosting spreads smoothly.

For the frosting, beat softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until fluffy. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars and top with sprinkles before slicing into squares.

Recipe Tips

• Press the dough evenly. The dough is sticky, so use a spatula or a piece of parchment to smooth the top. This helps the bars bake level and prevents thin, dry edges.
• Don’t overbake. Pull them from the oven when the edges are just lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Overbaking will make bars dry instead of soft and chewy.
• Cool completely before frosting. Warm bars will melt the frosting and cause it to slide. A cooled surface keeps that thick, fluffy layer in place.
• Add milk only if needed. The frosting should be thick and spreadable. Add a splash of milk if it’s too stiff, or a little extra powdered sugar if it’s too thin.

More Christmas Dessert Recipes

Variations

• Buttercream frosting: Swap the cream cheese frosting for a simple buttercream if you prefer a sweeter, fluffier topping.
• Christmas tree sugar cookie bars: Tint the frosting green, slice the cooled bars into triangles, and decorate with sprinkles as “ornaments”.
• Sprinkles in the dough: Fold in a handful of Christmas sprinkles before baking for extra color and crunch.
• Different holidays: Change the sprinkle colors for Valentine’s Day, Easter, birthdays, or the 4th of July. Same base recipe, new theme.