Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars – soft, moist sugar cookie bars topped with a naturally flavored strawberry frosting. Easy to make and ideal for serving a crowd.
When strawberries are at their peak in spring, I love turning them into bright, fruity desserts. For these bars I adapted my favorite sugar cookie dough into a sheet-baked version and finished it with a strawberry frosting made from natural preserves for reliable flavor and texture.
Strawberry Frosting
Making frosting from fresh strawberries can be challenging because the fruit’s water content varies, which can make frosting too loose to pipe or spread cleanly. For a more consistent, naturally flavored frosting I use a smooth, thick strawberry preserve or jam. Look for versions with minimal ingredients—strawberries, sugar, pectin, and citric acid are ideal.
If you prefer homemade fruit, a low-sugar strawberry freezer jam that’s smooth and thick will also work well. The key is a spread that has no large chunks and holds its shape so the frosting isn’t runny. This preserves-based frosting has been easy to pipe and spread on cakes and cupcakes, and it’s perfect for these sugar cookie bars.
The strawberry frosting I use combines butter, strawberry preserves, and powdered sugar. It’s flavorful, naturally pink, and thick enough to spread or pipe without becoming watery the way pureed fruit can sometimes do.
I’ve used this frosting on layer cakes and cupcakes with reliable results. On these bars it provides a fresh strawberry finish that complements the tender cookie base.
Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars
Sugar cookies are delightful but can be time-consuming when rolled, cut, and frosted individually. Turning the dough into bars speeds up the process while delivering that same soft, buttery sugar cookie flavor. These bars bake up thick, moist, and chewy rather than cakey.
This recipe uses powdered sugar and oil in the dough along with butter, which yields an especially tender texture. The result is a sugar cookie bar that stays soft and flavorful.
These Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars are fruity and bright—perfect for spring and summer gatherings, picnics, potlucks, or parties. Depending on how you cut them, the recipe yields 12 to 24 bars. Refrigerate before serving for the best texture and easy slicing.
Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars
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Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup (113 g) butter (1 stick), room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) oil (vegetable or canola)
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) all-purpose flour (stir, spoon, & level)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
Strawberry Frosting:
- ¾ cup (150 g) butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup (228 g) natural strawberry preserves
- 2 ½–3 cups (300–360 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease any exposed pan edges so the bars lift out easily.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the granulated and powdered sugars until smooth. Add the oil, water, egg, and vanilla; mix until combined.
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Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until the dough comes together; it should be slightly crumbly.
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Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan.
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Bake at 350°F for 16–20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden and the center no longer looks wet. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
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To make the frosting: beat the butter until creamy. Add the strawberry preserves and 1 cup of powdered sugar and blend. Add remaining powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency and sweetness.
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When the bars are cool, lift them from the pan using the parchment, spread the frosting evenly over the top, then cut and serve. For clean slices and best texture, refrigerate before cutting.
Notes
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