All the magic of Christmas sugar cookies—without rolling, cutting, or decorating dozens of individual cookies!
There’s something about frosted sugar cookies that just feels like Christmas. The buttery cookie, fluffy frosting, and colorful sprinkles belong on a holiday cookie tray.
But cutting out three dozen Christmas trees, stars, and snowmen?
Some years, I just don’t have it in me.
That’s why I love these Easy Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars. You get a thick, soft sugar-cookie base topped with creamy buttercream and plenty of festive Christmas sprinkles—all baked in one pan.
No chilling the dough.
No rolling pin.
No cookie cutters.
No decorating cookies one at a time.
And they’re pretty enough for a Christmas party, cookie exchange, classroom treat, or holiday movie night.
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Why You’ll Love These Christmas Cookie Bars
These are the kind of Christmas treats I love most: festive enough to feel special but simple enough to actually make during a busy December.
They’re:
- Easy to make in one pan
- Soft and chewy
- Perfect for making ahead
- Easy to transport to parties
- Fun for kids to decorate
- Beautiful on a Christmas dessert tray
- Much faster than traditional cut-out sugar cookies
And because you can change the frosting and sprinkles, you can make them look completely different from one Christmas to the next.
Easy Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 18–22 minutes
Yield: Approximately 24 bars
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookie Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Christmas Buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Green food coloring
- Christmas sprinkles
How to Make Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
1. Prepare Your Pan
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little extra parchment over the sides. This makes it much easier to lift the entire batch from the pan before cutting.
2. Make the Sugar Cookie Dough
Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and almond extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until everything comes together into a soft dough.
3. Press and Bake
Press the dough evenly into your prepared 9×13-inch pan.
Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden.
The secret here is not to overbake them. You want the center soft and tender rather than crisp.
Allow the bars to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Buttercream
Beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy.
Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, pinch of salt, and enough milk or cream to create a fluffy, spreadable frosting.
Add a small amount of green food coloring and mix until you have the shade you want.
Spread the buttercream generously over the cooled cookie bars.
And now for the best part…
Add your favorite red, green, white, and gold Christmas sprinkles while the frosting is still soft.
🎄 Turn Them Into Christmas Trees
Want to make these extra special?
Instead of cutting all of your cookie bars into squares, cut some into triangles.
Add green buttercream, colorful sprinkle “ornaments,” and a tiny star sprinkle or candy at the top.
You can even add a small piece of pretzel to the bottom for the tree trunk.
Suddenly, a ridiculously easy cookie bar looks like something you spent all afternoon making.
I won’t tell.
Christmas Connoisseur Tips
Let the bars cool completely. Even slightly warm cookie bars can melt your buttercream.
Don’t overbake them. Pull them from the oven when the edges are lightly golden. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
Use parchment paper. Being able to lift the whole slab from the pan makes neat cuts much easier.
Clean your knife between cuts. If you’re serving these for a party or photographing them, wiping the knife between slices gives you those beautiful bakery-style edges.
Change the sprinkles for different occasions. Red, green, white, and gold look especially beautiful for Christmas, but an all-white-and-gold version would be gorgeous for a more elegant holiday party.
Make Them Ahead
These are a great make-ahead Christmas dessert.
Bake the cookie layer a day ahead, cover it well, and frost it the following day.
You can also prepare the finished bars ahead of a Christmas party and keep them covered until you’re ready to serve.
Create a Christmas Cookie-Bar Station
If you’re making these with children or grandchildren, skip decorating the entire pan yourself.
Set out bowls of Christmas sprinkles, mini candies, crushed candy canes, and other toppings and let everyone decorate their own bar.
It’s an easy little Christmas activity—and dessert is already taken care of.
What You’ll Need
You don’t need much special equipment for this recipe, but a few inexpensive baking tools make it even easier:
9×13-inch baking pan
A sturdy rectangular baking pan is one of those kitchen staples you’ll use all year.
Pre-cut parchment paper sheets
One of my favorite baking shortcuts, especially during Christmas baking season.
Offset frosting spatula
This makes spreading buttercream across the cookie bars much easier and gives you those pretty frosting swirls.
Christmas sprinkle mix
Look for a mix with several sizes and shapes for a more bakery-style finish.
Christmas treat boxes
If you’re giving the bars to neighbors, teachers, or friends, a pretty holiday bakery box instantly turns them into a Christmas gift.
Holiday serving platter
Arrange the bars with Christmas cookies, fudge, and other treats to make an easy holiday dessert board.
A Little Christmas Magic Without the Fuss
Christmas baking doesn’t have to mean spending an entire afternoon covered in flour.
Sometimes the best holiday recipes are the ones that give us more time to enjoy the season.
These Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars have everything I love about classic Christmas cookies—the buttery vanilla flavor, fluffy frosting, festive sprinkles, and that unmistakable feeling that Christmas is getting close.
Just without the rolling pin.
And I’m perfectly happy with that.
Save this recipe for your Christmas baking list—you’ll be glad you did when December gets busy. 🎄