Southern Living Bar Cookie Recipes

If you’re craving frosted sugar cookies but don’t want to deal with chilling and rolling or scooping out cookie dough, these sugar cookie bars have all of the flavor without the extra work. They are thick, chewy, and topped with just the right amount of buttercream frosting.

Because they’re so quick and easy, sugar cookie bars are perfect for any occasion—especially if the occasion is that you’re just craving cookies. For fans of the large sugar cookies from cookie chains, try using the optional almond extract in the frosting and serving these bars chilled.

You'll also need powdered sugar, along with more butter, salt, milk, and vanilla for the frosting. If you like almond extract, you can add 3/4 teaspoon to the frosting. A few drops of food coloring and sprinkles are optional, but highly encouraged.

Spritz Cookie Recipe

In an airtight container, sugar cookie bars will last at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. You can also keep them in the fridge for a few days more. Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper between the cookie layers if you need to stack them. This will help keep the frosting tidy.

To freeze sugar cookie bars, wrap them in storage wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months. If you're making the bars to get ahead for a future party or birthday celebration, bake, cool, and freeze just the cookie layer. Then, thaw it overnight in the fridge, and make the frosting the day you plan to serve the cookie bars.

This is your time to have fun! While optional, you can use food coloring to tint the buttercream frosting to match a party theme or holiday colors. Mix up the sprinkles, sanding sugars, or candies, too. This is a great opportunity to get kids involved, and they'll enjoy being creative with all the fun edible decor options.

Coffee Chocolate Bars Recipe

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Brown Sugar Cookie Stars Raspberry Crumble Bars Recipe Frosted Redbird Cookies Chocolate Mint Cookies Frosted Sugar Cookie Snowflakes Best Brown Butter Blondies

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So if you're as crazy about bar cookies as we are, look to these ultra-decadent bar cookies to see you through every month of the year, whether starting with buttery pineapple-studded bars, old-fashioned Hello Dolly barsor super chocolatey peanut butter bars. These are 26 of our most beloved bar cookie recipes ever.

How To Make Hello Dolly Bars

One look at these mouthwatering bars and you'd never guess that they are no bake. Layers of saltines and toffee are topped off with milk chocolate and flaky salt for a treat that will appeal to adults and kids alike. These bars are a bit sticky, so cut into them with a knife rinsed in hot water between slices.

The name says it all. Enjoy the caramel sweetness of a pineapple upside-down cake, but in buttery hand-held form. A crumbly almond topping is the perfect match for the juicy fruit filling.

Frosted sugar cookies are fun, but these sugar cookie bars are easier. Make a tray of sugar cookies, add buttercream frosting, and sprinkle any fun candies you like.

The Untold Truth Of Magic Cookie Bars

These bars will brighten up any bake sale or holiday table. And they are much easier to pull off than baking and frosting multiple layers of red velvet cake. With a light and cakey texture, they will be a hit wherever you serve them.

Delight the kids in your life (or those grown-up kids at heart) with these adorable cereal bars. Choose from Honey Nut Cheerios, Froot Loops, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch and bake up a batch—or two!

Revamp the classic ambrosia recipe with these cookie bars. They have the texture of lemon bars but use tangerine juice, cherry syrup, and a coconut crust for a sweet, slightly tart taste. Before removing them from the pan, remember to chill the bars, or the crust will bend.

Brownie Cookies Recipe

Blueberries and lemon make a delicious duo, especially in these impressively thick bars. A crunchy top and bottom layer contrast nicely with the soft, jammy filling. Think of it as a fruit crisp in cookie form.

You might recognize these from your grandmother's kitchen. And if you don't, they are a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-coconut dream. Even better, you can make these cookie bars custom to your preferences by substituting walnuts for pecans or white or dark chocolate for bittersweet chocolate chops.

Banana pudding is a classic dessert, so try this twist by combining it with another crowd-favorite, cheesecake. The custardy flavors pair perfectly with the brown butter-vanilla wafer crust. Leave enough time in your preparations for these bars to chill correctly.

Seven Layer Cookies Recipe

Made for snacking, these bars use caramel, popcorn, and marshmallows for the ideal no-bake treats. Keep these on hand for unexpected guests, as they can stay in an airtight container for up to one week. Customize these bars to your preferences and add salted peanuts, pretzels, or chocolate candies.

Love carrot cake, but don't have time (or the inclination) to make and frost all those layers? This recipe is made for you. All of the traditional ingredients are there: carrots, pineapple, raisins, walnuts, and a rich cream cheese frosting to top it all off.

Get your caffeine fix an even sweeter way. These bars may look fancy, but they only require 15 minutes of hands-on time to make—the rest is just chilling time. Store-bought wafer cookies are the secret to the chocolatey crust. Make the bars up to three days in advance and keep them refrigerated until you are ready to serve.

Kentucky Derby Pie Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

Fresh blackberries and peaches make these cobbler bars absolutely delectable. As it bakes, the fruit creates jammy pockets throughout these cake-like treats. A touch of bourbon in the batter puts these treats over the top, but you can omit it if you prefer.

Don't even bother turning on the oven. These ooey, gooey, caramelly layered bars are completely no-bake. The most complicated part of this recipe is combining the cream and sugar when making the toffee mixture, be mindful not to let it boil.

Peanut butter and chocolate together is a tale as old as time, and these bars give you the perfect amount of each. Wait until the top layer of chocolate firms up to get the best slice. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Pecan Pie Bars Recipe

We took an all-American cherry pie and turned it into a soft, cakey bar. After baking the bottom layer for about 25 minutes, spread the cherry filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with chopped pecans and flour mixture and cook until golden brown.

These gooey cookies are so good, they might just replace the usual pecan pie on your holiday table. The bars are baked in a 13- x 9-inch casserole dish. If you're bringing them to a gathering, keep them in the pan and slice them up when you're ready to serve.

When you really want to impress at a party or bake sale, try these incredible peanut butter bars topped with white and dark chocolate swirls. A serrated knife is the best tool for making neat slices.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Make these bars in late spring/early summer, when fresh berries and rhubarb are at their best. The fruit is baked into toasted almond crust, giving them a subtle nutty flavoring. If you can't get your hands on rhubarb, no worries—use more raspberries, or substitute sliced strawberries.

Can't decide between cookies or pie? This dessert gives you the best of worlds. Use refrigerated pie crust to simplify the process. If you don't want tomake your own apple butter, store-bought works just as well.

Upgrade traditional lemon bars with this sophisticated twist. Basil might seem like an unlikely pairing with lemon, but just like in an herb-infused lemonade, it totally works. The buttery crust makes the perfect pairing with the tart filling

Fruitcake Bar Cookies

Flaky coconut meets tangy cheesecake for a sweet treat everyone will request again and again. Coconut, lemon, and lime add tropical notes, and chopped and toasted macadamia nuts make the perfect finishing touch.

Ground cinnamon and ginger liven up the traditional pecan pie filling in these amazing bars. Substitute store bought pie dough to make these treats come together even faster.

Perhaps the most decadent bar cookies ever, Hello Dolly Bars start with a can of

Bar Cookie Recipes That Are Easy To Make