Valentine's Day Sugar Cookie Bars
These Valentine’s Day Sugar Cookie Bars have all the classic sugar cookie flavor you love in a soft, chewy bar. Topped with swirled pink and red frosting and festive sprinkles, they’re easy to customize or keep simple with plain white frosting.
Servings: 15 slices
Ingredients
For the cookie bars:
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp corn starch
- ¼ cup sprinkles
For the frosting:
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream room temperature
- ¼ cup sprinkles
- red & pink food dye
Instructions
For the cookie bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350° and grease and line a metal 9×13 pan with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and granulated sugar. Mix until combined. Add in vanilla and egg and egg yolk, and mix until incorporated.
- While the mixer is on low add in the flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar and corn starch. Mix until just combined. Add in sprinkles and mix again on low until incorporated.
- Scoop batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula or lightly wet your hands to evenly press the dough into the pan. 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 until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk and beat until smooth. Add in additional heavy cream/milk to get the consistency you prefer.
- Once smooth, if you're coloring the frosting, divide into three bowls and dye one bowl pink, one bowl red and mix until incorporated. Leave the final bowl white.
For decorating:
- Once the cookie bars have cooled completely, spread a thin layer of white frosting on top. Add small scoops of the different colored frostings on top, then take a small spatula or back of the spoon and swirl the buttercream. Top with sprinkles, slice & serve!