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Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar cookie dough with a cream cheese filling topped with icing. This is an easy and festive holiday treat!
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 28 minutes
Servings 16 bars
Author Olivia Lam

Ingredients

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
  • ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
  • ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Sugar Cookie Dough:

  • 2¼ cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¾ cup Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
  • 1½ cups Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Icing:

  • 1½ cups Powdered Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Milk
  • Sprinkles of Choice (for decorating)

Instructions

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • Add of of the ingredients into a bowl. Mix the cream cheese and sugar together until combined. Set it aside.

For the Sugar Cookie Dough:

  • Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt into a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until combined. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour in the bowl of dry ingredients and fold everything together until you get a dough.
  • Add half of the dough into the lined baking pan. Lightly flour your hands and press the dough out into an even layer, covering the bottom of the pan. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top. Add the remaining half of the cookie dough on top and use floured hands to gently spread the dough into an even layer, completely covering the cream cheese. Try to be gentle so you do not disturb the cream cheese layer.
  • Bake it in the oven for about 38 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the sugar cookie bars from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan.

For the Icing:

  • While it cools, mix together the powdered sugar and milk in a bowl to make the icing. When the sugar cookie bar has cooled completely, pour the icing over top. Add on the sprinkles before the icing dries. Allow the icing to set then cut it into squares and enjoy!