These lemn sugar cookie bars are soft and thick cookie bars, bursting with a light, fresh, and tangy lemon flavor in the cookie bar and the frosting.
I’ve already shared two sugar cookie bars with you plain old sugar cookie bars and chocolate mint sugar cookie bars and these lemon sugar cookie bars are a a perfect addition to the collection.
I’ve fallen head over heals in love with sugar cookie bars – they’ve got the delicious taste of sugar cookie, in easy and quick to make bar form. That means no chilling, no rolling, and no cutting out shapes.
And these lemon sugar cookie bars are no exception. These cookie bars have the perfect refreshing lemony taste in both the cookie dough and the frosting. The tart lemon is the perfect contrast to the sweet cookie and sweet frosting and these bars aren’t one you’ll want to miss!
Ingredients Needed to make Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars:
- unsalted butter – to help hold everything together in the cookie dough, give them a little chew, and a delicious buttery flavor
- granulated sugar – to sweeten the cookies
- egg – to give structure and lift to the bars
- lemon juice and lemon zest – for that perfect lemon flavor
- vanilla extract – for flavor
- cream cheese – to make these cookie bars extra soft
- all purpose flour – the majority of the dough, holding it all together
- baking powder – gives the bars a little lift so they aren’t too dense
- salt – helps add flavor and balance the sweetness
- powdered sugar – to hold the frosting together and make it nice and sweet
How to make Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars?
- Mix together your butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and stir until just combined.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly, while stirring until everything is combined and you will have a crumbly dough.
- Press the dough into a greased baking pan and spread it out evenly to the edges and corners of the pan.
- Bake the bars until they are just set, and the edges just start to turn golden. Then let them cool completely before frosting.
- Mix all the frosting ingredients together in a medium sized bowl, then spread the frosting evenly over the top of the bars if desired. Slice them up and enjoy!
Tips for making Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars:
- Bring your ingredients to room temperature before mixing them up. The butter, egg, and cream cheese. This will help them mix up better in the dough.
- You don’t want to overbake these bars, as they’ll keep cooking in the pan as they cool. Bring them out of the oven when the edges just look barely golden, the middle may even look under baked when you bring them out.
These are the perfect spring or summer time dessert. And they would be the perfect treat for a summer party or potluck!
More Lemon Desserts:
- Lemon Loaf
- Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
- Lemon Cream Pie
- Lemon Icebox Cake
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Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 TBS lemon zest
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
For The Lemon Frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBS lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 drops yellow food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Set bowl aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in your egg, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix till combined.
- Slowly add in your flour mixture while stirring until everything is combined.
- Press the batter into a greased 9x13 dish and spread it out evenly with your hands or a rubber spatula.
- Bake your sugar cookie bars for 15-17 minutes or until the edges have just started to turn golden.
- Allow cookie bars to cool completely.
- Mix all your ingredients together for your frosting until creamy. Add more powdered sugar or milk if needed for the texture.
- Spread your frosting evenly over your cooled cookie bars.
- Cut into squares and serve.
These lemon sugar cookie bars were first posted on May 9, 2015. The photos and blog text have been updated for clarity.
Katherine says
Thank you! They are in the oven and smell delicious.
Aimee Berrett says
Hope they turn out great for ya!
Katherine says
The ingredients say baking powder, but the directions indicate baking soda. Is it actually powder?!
Aimee Berrett says
Thanks for catching that. It is in fact baking powder. I corrected the instructions accordingly
Maureen says
The lemon sugar cookie bars are amazing! I really love lemons and with your sugar cookies, I want to make these now. These would really be perfect as summer dessert!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
You’ve got me wanting sugar cookie bars galore! And you know how much I love lemons!
Ellen Garrett says
I know we may have perfection here, right!?!