Holiday Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Holiday Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting — Sugar cookies in bar form with SPRINKLES baked in and on top!! So much faster than making cookies and a great holiday baking SHORTCUT!!

four Christmas sugar cookie bars on a white platter

Easy Christmas Cookie Bars

Sugar cookies are such a classic holiday treat. But sometimes around the holidays I’m so busy I don’t even have time to bake cookies. Enter: a pan of Christmas cookie bars.

I love making bars because they’re faster and easier than cookies, there’s no dough to chill, and no need to form individual cookies with a cookie scoop. Just press the dough into a pan, bake, and you’re set.

To make this recipe even easier, I used a box of Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix that I doctored up with sprinkles. 

The Christmas sugar cookie bars are buttery soft in the middle with a bit of chewiness around the edges and have nice texture from the baked-in sprinkles.

After baking, I frosted the bars with cream cheese frosting. Everything is better with cream cheese frosting. And more sprinkles.

four Christmas sugar cookie bars on a white platter next to a box of Krusteaz cookie mix

What’s in Sugar Cookie Bars? 

To make these easy bar cookies, you’ll need: 

  • Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix
  • Egg
  • Butter
  • Holiday sprinkles 
  • Cream cheese
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Salt

How to Make Sugar Cookie Bars 

Stir together the cookie mix, egg, and butter. Gently fold in the sprinkles. Turn the dough into a greased 8×8-inch pan. Bake until center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Once the Christmas cookie bars have cooled completely, whip up the cream cheese frosting and spread over top. Top with additional sprinkles! 

close up of Christmas cookie bars on a white platter

Can I Double This Recipe? 

Yes! Simply double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch baking dish. 

Can I Freeze These Bars? 

Yes, but wait to frost them until AFTER they’ve been thawed. 

Holiday Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting - Sugar cookies in bar form with SPRINKLES baked in and on top!! So much faster than making cookies and a great holiday baking SHORTCUT!!

Tips for Making Christmas Cookie Bars

Use flat sprinkles (jimmies) because they’re nice and soft.

You can cheat and use a tub of store- bought cream cheese frosting if you’re extra pressed for time. Aren’t we all around the holidays?

Want to make these for another holiday? Switch out the red and green sprinkles for another color combo! 

Holiday Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting — Sugar cookies in bar form with SPRINKLES baked in and on top!! So much faster than making cookies and a great holiday baking SHORTCUT!!

Pin This Recipe

4.75 from 12 votes

Holiday Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

By Averie Sunshine
Sugar cookies in bar form with SPRINKLES baked in and on top!! So much faster than making cookies and a great holiday baking SHORTCUT!!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 29 minutes
Additional Time: 21 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 9
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Ingredients  

Bars

  • one package Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup red, green, and white holiday flat sprinkles (jimmies)

Frosting* (See Notes)

  • 6 ounces cream cheese, softened (lite okay)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons red, green, and white holiday sprinkles (jimmies or your favorite)

Instructions 

Bars:

  • Heat oven to 350F, line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • To a large bowl aedd the packet of cookie mix, butter, egg, and mix or stir to combine.
  • Add the sprinkles and stir to combine.
  • Turn batter out into prepared pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until done. Cool completely before frosting
  • Frosting - To a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and beat on high to combine.
  • Slowly add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, salt, and beat to incorporate.
  • Evenly spread the frosting over the cooled bars.
  • Evenly sprinkle the sprinkles over the top and serve. Bars will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

*Frosting: You can also use one tub storebought whipped cream cheese frosting instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 394kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 217mg, Sugar: 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Bar Cookies:

Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Holiday Bars — Stuffed to the max with M&M’s and Oreos! Easy, no-mixer recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes! 

Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Holiday Bars - Stuffed to the max with M&M's and Oreos!! Easy, no-mixer recipe that's ready in 30 minutes!! A guaranteed hit with everyone!!

 

 
Seven Layer Bars — These 7 layer bars have a graham cracker crust that’s topped with semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and melted caramely Rolos.
 
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Bars — The bars are dense, soft, chewy, buttery, have plenty of peanut butter flavor, and each is topped with a Kiss.

Tagalong Cookie Bars — Say hello to year-round Girl Scout cookie season with these delish bars! All the flavors of the classic cookies in easy bar form!!

Fudgy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars — Chewy oatmeal cookie bars with a thick layer of fudge in the middle! Whoa, hello chocolate overload!!

Snickerdoodle Bars — These soft and chewy bars taste just like snickerdoodle cookies minus the work of dragging out your mixer to cream ingredients, chilling dough, or making individual cookies.

Post is brought to you by Krusteaz. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram.

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
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  2. I put the sprinkles in the batter and mixed with beater.  It turned the cookie batter green!  Maybe I should have not used electric mixer.  I combined red and green sprinkles but batter is green.  Still Christmas looking!.

    1. That is why you have to STIR them in, not mix them in with a mixer. Mixers tend to pulverize, hence the green batter. Also some brands of sprinkles have dye that just bleeds more. Hey, they still look Christmasy and I’m sure taste great but yes stir in next time :)

    1. Yes. I mean fresh is best BUT if you want/need to freeze that’s fine. But frost them AFTER you take out and they’ve thawed.

  3. I’ve been craving sugar cookies like crazy but haven’t sat down and made any! Perfect timing finding this delicious recipe!

  4. Can’t stand it when not all the recipe is included and you have to go somewhere else to get it completed . Makes no since to me at all. Why not put it all so cant print it all at one time .Sorry just the truth.

    1. I can understand your frustration and I have spoken with Krusteaz about possibly letting me post the recipe on my site as well. I am not sure yet what they will decide. Thanks for your patience and continuing to visit my site.

  5. Wow, love how festive and gorgeous these bars are. I’m definitely gonna try and make these during the holidays!

  6. So festive, this really is the best time of the year. And yes to cream cheese frosting making everything better!