Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Cookie Bars
These Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Cookie Bars are as cute as they are delicious! The royal icing transfers help bring these adorable treats to life and make them the perfect dessert for the holiday season. The best part about this recipe is that they are so easy to make!
How To Make Sugar Cookie Bars
Prepare Royal Icing Transfers:
These should be made the day before to allow 24 hours to set. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, meringue powder, and water until smooth. Dye the icing as needed and place each color in a piping bag. Pipe designs onto parchment paper over stencils and let set for 24 hours.
Sugar Cookie Bars:
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9″ x 13″ pan, lining it with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until a smooth dough forms. Fold in sprinkles.
Spread dough evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before decorating.
Vanilla Buttercream:
Cream butter until smooth, then gradually add confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Add pink food gel if using.
Decorate:
Once the cookie bars are cool, pipe buttercream swirls on top using a star tip. Add sprinkles and place royal icing transfers on top. Slice into squares and enjoy!
How to Make Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookie Bars
Achieving the perfect texture for your Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Cookie Bars involves a few key steps:
Creaming Butter and Sugar: Properly creaming the butter and sugar introduces air into the dough, creating a light and chewy texture.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Using room temperature eggs ensures they blend more easily with the butter and sugar, leading to a smoother dough.
Baking Time: Be careful not to over-bake. The bars should be just golden brown on top and still soft in the center when you remove them from the oven.
Recipe Tips
Accurate Measuring: Use the scoop and level method for measuring flour to avoid adding too much, which can make the bars dense.
Mixing: Avoid overmixing the dough once you add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined to keep the bars tender.
Decorations: Get creative with royal icing transfers and sprinkles to match any festive occasion.
How To Store Sugar Cookie Bars
At Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Refrigeration: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezing: Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
Royal Icing Transfer Template
Why This Recipe Works
Flavor: The combination of vanilla, butter, and a hint of salt creates a classic sugar cookie flavor that’s elevated by festive sprinkles and royal icing decorations.
Texture: The balance of ingredients ensures a soft, chewy center with a slightly crisp edge.
Versatility: This recipe can be customized with different decorations and flavors, making it perfect for any holiday or celebration.
More Christmas Recipes Like Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Cookie Bars
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
Melted Snowman Brownies
Copycat Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cosmic Brownies
Brown Butter Christmas Crack Cookies
White Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies
Snow Globe Cookies
Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Cookie Bars
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12
servings30
minutes40
minutesKeep the screen of your device on.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cup granulated sugar
2 egg + 2 egg yolks, room temperature
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup sprinkles (optional) plus extra for decorating
- Vanilla Buttercream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
4-5 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1-2 drops pink food gel (optional)
- Royal Icing Transfers
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. meringue powder
3 1/2 Tbsp. water
food dye (gel, not liquid)
Directions
- The royal icing transfers are optional as decoration but if you decide to make them they need to set for 24 hours so this will be the first thing you prepare the day before making this recipe. To make them, whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, meringue powder and water 1 Tbsp. at a time until you have a smooth icing. It shouldn’t be too thin, but shouldn’t be so thick that it’s hard to mix.
- A little bit at a time, dye every color icing you need then place each color into a piping bag.
- Print out the template above, or use your choice of stencils and place it onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper over the cookie sheet. Pipe your designs by tracing the stencils on top of the parchment paper. Once you’ve finished piping, these will need to sit out at room temperature for 24 hours to set before you can remove them from the parchment paper.
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease and line a 9″ x 13″ pan with parchment paper with enough hanging over the sides for an easy release later. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar. Beat this until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and continue to mix until a smooth, fluffy dough forms. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure that everything is combining evenly. Fold in the sprinkles.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before decorating.
- Vanilla Buttercream
- To make the buttercream, cream the butter together with an electric mixer or in the owl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and salt. Gradually add one tablespoon of heavy cream at a time until the buttercream starts to come together. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as you mix. Add a few drops of pink food gel.
- Once the cookie bars are cooled completely, use a star tip to pipe swirls of buttercream evenly on top. Add sprinkles to the top them carefully place your royal icing transfers on top.
- Slice into even squares and enjoy!
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