4th Of July Sugar Cookie Bars (Printer-Friendly)

Soft sugar cookie bars with vanilla frosting and festive red, white, and blue sprinkles for your Independence Day celebration.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cookie Bars Base

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 1 large egg yolk
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
09 - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

→ Vanilla Frosting

10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
12 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
13 - 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
14 - Pinch of salt
15 - Red, white, and blue sprinkles for decoration

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on two sides for easy removal.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
03 - Beat softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
04 - Mix in egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully incorporated into the butter mixture.
05 - Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Press dough evenly into prepared pan using a spatula or hands. Bake for 18-20 minutes until edges are lightly golden and center appears set.
07 - Let bars cool in pan on wire rack until completely room temperature before frosting.
08 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt, beating until smooth and spreadable.
09 - Spread frosting evenly over cooled bars. Immediately top with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
10 - Lift bars from pan using parchment overhang. Cut into 16 equal squares and serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Soft vanilla bars with creamy frosting that travel perfectly to backyard BBQs and potlucks
  • The almond extract creates a bakery flavor everyone asks about but nobody can quite place
02 -
  • The bars continue baking slightly from residual heat so pull them when the center seems slightly underdone
  • Room temperature ingredients are the difference between dough that spreads easily and dough that fights you every inch
03 -
  • Chill the dough for 15 minutes if your kitchen is especially warm to prevent spreading too thin
  • Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even browning—my oven has a hot spot that taught me this the hard way

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