This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy
These SUGAR COOKIE BARS are packed full of red, white, and blue sprinkles and topped off with a simple buttercream frosting and more colorful sprinkles. Perfect for your Fourth of July BBQ!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
My husband is a total cookie monster.
He eats them for breakfast just about every morning, which means that as soon as our cookie jar empties out, he starts getting a little antsy.
Of course, he also wants bacon and eggs or biscuits and gravy to go along with his cookies, but whatever. 😉
Some of his favorite cookies include lemon cookies, macadamia nut cookies, and peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
Today I’m sharing cookie bars, which I LOVE, because it’s so much quicker and easier than scooping out a ton of little dough balls and baking tray after tray of cookie.
You just spread it in a pan, bake, and boom. Done.
Did I mention that these sugar cookie bars have sprinkles inside the cookie part? They’re so cute!
How to make these sugar cookie bars:
We’re going to whip up our cookie dough using some pretty standard ingredients: butter, sugar, egg, flour, vanilla, baking soda, and baking powder.
The secret ingredient here is the cream cheese. It makes these soft and rich. So good!
You’ll also stir some red, white, and blue sprinkles into your dough. Festive and fun!
Spread the batter into a foil lined half sheet pan and bake.
When the cookie bars are done baking and have completely cooled, spread on some frosting.
You have a couple options here for the frosting…you can use store-bought frosting. You’ll get no judgement from me. 😉
You could also use homemade buttercream. Either works great!
Add on a few more sprinkles, cut into bars, and serve!
I think these cookie bars will be the hit of your 4th of July get together! What a fun way to celebrate!
More 4th of July recipes:
4th of July Cookies: So easy and made with my FAVORITE cookie dough!
Broccoli Salad with Bacon: Perfect for serving at your cookout!
Crockpot Mac and Cheese: It’s not a cookout without mac and cheese, y’all. 😉
Turkey Burgers: If you’re grilling out, you’ve got to give these a try!
Firecracker Cake: Simply gorgeous!
Fourth of July Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons red, white, and blue sprinkles
- 2 cups frosting canned or homemade
- sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
To make the cookie bars:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line a half sheet pan (15x10x1) with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well incorporated.
- With your mixer turned to low, add in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing until just combined. Stir in the sprinkles.
- Press the dough evenly into your prepared pan. The dough is sticky and it will look too thin, but it all works out. Just keep pressing it until you have an even layer over the entire baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes until edges begin to turn golden.
- Cool completely before frosting and topping with additional sprinkles.
Lori says
Trying today with my 2 yo. Is the flour all purpose or self rising?
Karly says
All purpose flour. 🙂
Laura Kiene says
Hi, Can these be frozen?
Karly says
Hmm, I haven’t tried freezing these. I think they’d do fine, but can’t say for sure.
Amanda says
If you wanted to use a cookie cutter on these would that work?
Karly says
This don’t won’t roll out. It’s too sticky, more like a drop cookie than a roll out cookie.
Karly says
Ha, sorry, meant to say this DOUGH won’t roll out.
Carol says
Do you think they would be fresh if I made them 3 days ahead? I usually have good luck with brownies, but wanted to try sonething different. I thought the cream cheese would help them stay moist! I will be travelling and want to bring them to our family picnic.
Karly says
I think they’d likely be fine. I wouldn’t cut them until the day of the party and that will help for sure. 🙂
Mary says
What is a half sheet pan?
Karly says
It’s an 18×13 baking sheet.
Shirley says
So just wondering if you have a gluten free recipe for these or gluten free recipes? My son has Celiac and just trying to find stuff he might like.
Karly says
Hi Shirley! I’m afraid I don’t have a gluten free version. I don’t use alternative flours much, so I’m probably not the best resource.
Colleen says
OMG, how delicious are these cookie bars! I especially love this part: You just spread it in a pan, bake, and boom. Done. Doing this!
Audre Marrocco says
Sound like a great recipe but I believe it needs some salt. Most sweet recipes need salt to balance the sweet.
Karly says
I normally add salt to baked goods, but with the salted butter and cream cheese these are good without. 🙂