Shortbread Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe: The Easiest Pretty Pan Cookies!

Shortbread Sugar Cookie Bars recipe

I love baking. It's one of my favorite things to do. But I have a problem: I'm not happy with anything I bake if it looks bad or messy.

I'm also relatively slow in the kitchen, so I want my recipes to be fast. Even the quickest recipes take me more time than they should!

When I find a recipe for a treat that seems simple to decorate and quick to make, I make a mental note to try it soon.

Related: Bookmark this simple recipe for homemade Pedialyte.

These shortbread sugar cookie bars fill both of those requirements. On top of that, they're absolutely delicious. It's a total winner of a recipe!

I think what I love most about these bars is that they're a perfect cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread. They're not crunchy and crumbly like shortbread tends to be, but they do have that rich, buttery texture. They're also not too thick because they're baked in a jelly roll pan instead of a cake pan.

Note: you can use a cake pan. See the extra baking time in the recipe below. 

They're also softer and richer like a sugar cookie without the work of rolling and cutting out the dough. Sugar cookie cutouts take me all day, so I really appreciate that these are pan cookies instead of cutouts.

One more benefit to this recipe over sugar cookies: no refrigeration is required. You just mix up the ingredients, bake the bars, let them cool and frost them. The whole process can take less than an hour if you're quick to get them in the oven!

Shopping and Baking Tip: I buy a lot of my non-perishable ingredients at Amazon because it's so much easier than going to the grocery store. I also often forget some of the specialty ingredients, like extracts, when I'm shopping for my everyday groceries.

If you're a member of Amazon prime you can get great prices on groceries with Prime Pantry!

Here are some of the ingredients in the shortbread sugar cookie bars recipe:

Watkins All Natural Pure Almond ExtractSimply Organic Pure Vanilla Extract, Certified OrganicWilton Icing Colors, Set of 8Calumet Baking Powder

Shortbread Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

Recipe ingredients:

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Recipe instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 10×15 jelly roll pan with cooking spray (A 9×13 cake pan can be used with an additional 10 minutes baking time).
2. Sift or mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Use a mixer on medium speed to cream together sugar and butter until fluffy and well-mixed.
4. Add eggs, almond extract and vanilla extract. Mix on medium until fully combined.
5. Add in dry ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix at low speed until blended (dough will be firm but still pliable). Stand mixers can handle this, but you'll need to use a wooden spoon instead of a hand mixer after about the 3rd cup of dry ingredients.
6. Press dough into pan. Bake for 20 minutes (if using 9X13 cake pan add 10 minutes).
7. Let cool completely, then frost with the Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting.

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Recipe

Recipe Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• Food coloring (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons milk as needed

Recipe instructions:

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in vanilla extract and 2 drops of food coloring.
3. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time on low speed until your frosting holds it's shape when you drag a spoon through it. If the frosting isn't spreadable add milk, one teaspoon at a time.

Print the recipe for shortbread sugar cookie bars below.

Related: My easy weeknight meals include Chicken Alfredo Crescent Roll-Ups with broccoli fries!