Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars
Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars are the quickest way to make soft frosted sugar cookies for a crowd. No chilling, no cutting, no mess!
If you know me at all, you know that sugar cookies are kind of my thing. My friends and I started making the BEST Sugar Cookies ever over 25 years ago. They have become a baking tradition for thousands more of you every year, and I’m so very grateful!
As much as I love my cut-out sugar cookie recipe, I know that sometimes you don’t want to sit down to cut out and frost sugar cookies- especially for a large group.
That’s why you’re going to want to grab my recipe for these delightfully easy and wonderfully delicious Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars. With a few tips (and a few shortcuts), you can make these bars for a crowd in about an hour.
Tips for Making Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars
- To pipe the frosting, you will need piping bags and cake decorating tips. In some recipes, you can get away with substituting zip-top bags for piping bags, but I would not recommend that for this frosting since it is thick. Piping bags are more durable than zip-top bags and will not break when you apply pressure to squeeze out the frosting.
- Have fun piping a sweater design or spread the frosting. I applied the frosting with a small offset spatula.
These icing decorations are so festive and easy! They come in many designs.
For the reindeer, I took a little inspiration from my Reindeer Pretzel recipe because they are adorable, and I love that sweet and salty combination.
If you’re going to cut mini pretzels, do it fast to avoid breaking. You may be tempted to try to slice the pretzels slowly, but a swift cut straight down does the trick. Be sure to keep your fingers out of the way!
The suggested serving size is 24 slices, but you can cut them even smaller since these are sweet, chewy cookies piled high with frosting and candies.
Everyone will be coming back for more!
Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract, see notes
- 3 cups flour all purpose
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- candies for decorating
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, see notes
- 1/4 cup milk, or whipping cream
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish (or use parchment paper), set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.
- In a separate bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients 1 cup at a time until incorporated. A dough will form and pull away from the sides of the mixer bowl when ready.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking dish, and press down with your fingers to flatten evenly.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden in color. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Frosting
- In the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 2 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar, salt, and extracts. Use milk or cream (more or less) to thin the frosting to the desired consistency.
- Separate any frosting you would like to color (I only used a small amount of green in this design).
- Pipe over cooled sugar cookie bars in different patterns.
- Decorate with sprinkles, sugar transfers, etc.
Notes
- For the cookie bars, you can omit the almond extract. Substitute with vanilla if desired.
- For the frosting, vanilla extract will give a slight tint to the frosting so use clear vanilla if you want a brighter frosting.
Nutrition
Looking for More Christmas Recipes
Our Grinch Cookies are made and loved by thousands each year! There’s something lovable about that mean old grinch.
Grab our frosting recipe- it truly is The Best Christmas Cookie Frosting.
Are you crazy about peppermint bark like we are? Try a new spin on a classic treat with our Peppermint Bark Rice Krispy Treats.
Christmas Tree Meringue Cookies are delicious and straightforward. If you’ve never made meringue, you will fall in love with this recipe; I promise!
Our EASY Christmas Candy promises to be the quickest, most fun treat on the dessert table. You’ll see why!
Items Used in This Post
22 Comments on “Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookie Bars”
I found these pretty dry, but that may just be from my own error. I’d definitely add a bit more sugar Otherwise they’re delicious.
Should you refrigerate these bars with the frosting?
I’ll be making these this Christmas. Thank you for sharing the recipe. My family will love them.
I couldn’t wait to make these because they look so cute! I need advice. Mine were really dry… I even cooked them 2 min less than the recommended. What can I do next time?
Also, my icing tasted like butter. Is that the way it’s supposed to taste.
Will definitely try this again! Thanks!
How thick are these? Do you think they would work on a 10×15 jelly roll pan?
Love the idea making sugar cookie bars w/yummy frosting. The decorations are just perfect! I have a 9×13 cookie pan/baking sheet. 😉 Not with tall sides one like yours in photo. I’ll be making these this Christmas. Thank you for sharing the recipe. My family will love them.
for those wondering, the pan is a half size sheet pan, 9×13, or jelly roll pan…
While this looks and sounds delicious, that picture is clearly not a 9 x 13 pan. It leads to much confusion.
It is definitely a 9×13 pan. It is more shallow than a casserole pan.
Where do I get the decorations you have on these cookies?
Theses are delicious! And the decorating was so much easier on a bar cookie! Thank you!
Are these baked in a 9×13 pan? The picture looks like a cookie sheet.
Omg, this is exactly what I’m looking for my kids, thanks alot Katrina
Maybe I’ll make it half as small…
It says to drop by tablespoons but yet it’s a bar cookie in a 9 x 13. So really which is it please? Thank you.
I dropped the batter in with a cookie scoop. I had a 9×13 baking sheet.
Can these be made ahead and frozen for shipping.
I would not freeze them with frosting, but they will be fine frozen without.
How do you separate the cookies? Indentation while warm? Chef knife when cooled???
I just cut them into squares with a knife.
Every picture shows the cookies in a large cookie sheet. However, the recipe calls for the use of a 9 x 13 pan. What’s correct.
This picture shows a 9×13 baking pan/dish.
Oh my gosh! These ugly Christmas sweater cookie bars are so cute! They will be perfect for our annual party!