Easter Sugar Cookie Bars (Printable View)

Soft sugar cookie bars with creamy pastel frosting and festive sprinkles, perfect for Easter celebrations.

# What You Need:

→ Cookie Base

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

→ Frosting

09 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 2-3 tablespoons whole milk or cream
12 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - Food coloring in pastel tones (pink, yellow, green, purple)

→ Decoration

14 - Festive Easter sprinkles

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract if using.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Spread dough evenly in prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes until edges are barely golden and center is set. Cool completely in pan.
07 - Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk. Beat until smooth and fluffy, adding more milk if needed for spreadable consistency.
08 - Divide frosting and tint portions with pastel food coloring if desired. Spread frosting evenly over cooled cookie base.
09 - Sprinkle with Easter sprinkles. Lift bars from pan using parchment overhang and cut into squares.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The soft, pillowy texture stays fresh for days unlike traditional cutout cookies that can dry out
  • You get all the festive fun of decorated sugar cookies without spending hours rolling and cutting individual shapes
  • The pastel frosting brings such joy to Easter brunch plates and kids go absolutely wild for the sprinkles
02 -
  • Underbaking slightly is better than overbaking. Remove from oven when the center still looks slightly soft for the fudgiest texture.
  • Completely cooled bars are essential. Warm cookies will melt your frosting right off and create a mess instead of a beautiful presentation.
  • Gel food coloring gives you those gorgeous pastel shades without thinning your frosting or leaving bitter aftertastes.
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients blend more easily and create a smoother, more uniform texture in both dough and frosting
  • Chill frosted bars for 15 minutes before cutting to get perfect squares without dragging the frosting

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