This recipe came about because I was headed to a party and wanted to bring something easy but fun. I originally made the cookie bars (my husband insists they are called congo bars but I had never heard of them) but wanted to spruce them up a bit. I mixed up some easy buttercream frosting, added a bit of coloring and sprinkles and wha-la! These Frosted Cookie Bars are so tasty and fun, and perfect for your next event, Valentine’s Day, or any birthday or holiday!
These cookie bars are essentially a chocolate chip cookie cake in bar form. For larger slices I cut 12, but these can easily be cut into 16-20 slices to feed a crowd. They have both chocolate chips and sprinkles, but if you’d like to leave out the sprinkles you can! Keep reading to find where I go into the kind of sprinkles I prefer to use and other tips to making these turn out perfect every time!
Recipe tips:
- Sprinkles: I feel like I needed to dedicate a section here to sprinkles because there are so many different varieties and not all of them will work in this cookie. For this recipe I used confetti quins. I love how colorful and whimsical they are. they also hold their shape and color when baked which was exactly what I was looking for! You can also use classic jimmies. For these cookies do not use nonpareils. They’re small and add a great crunch but the color will bleed if you mix them into any sort of batter. If you would like to make a recipe using nonpareils, try these Christmas Kiss Cookies!
- Baking pan: I HIGHLY suggest you use a metal baking pan. Metal pans cook baked goods more evenly than a glass pan and are super easy to transport the bars in (the one I tagged comes with a lid which is super convenient!)
- Frosting: These cookie bars are delicious without the frosting so if you don’t have the time or ingredients, no worries! I am a total frosting fanatic and will put it on anything and everything, plus it makes them so pretty!
- Chocolate chips: For this recipe I prefer to use milk chocolate or semi-sweet, but you can use whatever is in your pantry!
- How to make them soft and chewy: Like most of my cookie recipes, these bars are soft and chewy. In order to make these they stay soft make sure you don’t skip the corn starch in the recipe! Corn starch helps to create a really tender cookie and that’s what we want! You also want to pay close attention to your baking time. I baked mine for 25 minutes on the dot. The top and outside edge will be nice and golden brown but the inside will seem under baked. Pull them from the oven and let them completely cool in the pan. This will produce the most delicious soft and chewy cookie bars 🙂
These cookie bars are chewy and packed with confetti sprinkles and chocolate chips. I typically frost them in the pan, so they truly are the perfect to bring to any party!
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Frosted Confetti Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the cookie bars:
- ¾ cup salted butter, melted 12 tbsp
- 1 cup light brown. sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips I prefer milk chocolate or semi-sweet
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles I like to use confetti quins or traditional jimmies
For the frosting:
- ¾ cup salted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-5 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp salt
Additional ingredients:
- gel food coloring optional
- extra sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
For the cookie bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and line a metal 9×13 pan with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the melted butter, brown and granulated sugar. Mix until combined. Add in vanilla and eggs, and mix until incorporated.
- While the mixer is on low add in the flour, salt, corn starch and baking soda. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Scoop batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to make sure the dough is evenly spread out. Bake or 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and powdered sugar for 2-3 minutes until combined. Add in the vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and beat until smooth. Add in additional heavy cream to get the consistency you prefer. Once smooth, if you're dying the frosting add in 1-2 drops of coloring. For this pale pink I used the tiniest bit!
For assembly:
- Once the bars have completely cooled spread the buttercream on top. Sprinkle on additional sprinkles and cut and serve!
[…] are so many different varieties and not all of them will work in this cookie. For the original Frosted Confetti Cookie Bar recipe I used confetti quins. I love how colorful and whimsical they are. They also hold their […]
Do these have to be refrigerated?