Grinch Cookie Bars are soft and delicious sugar cookie bars. They are topped with green frosting and a heart for the cutest Grinch theme.
Grinch Cookie Bars
Indulge in the delectable and tender taste of sugar cookies in these convenient and enjoyable bars. These bars capture the essence of sugar cookies, while the frosting and red hearts add a festive touch.
They are ideal for any celebration during the holiday season. Another fun dessert that you can try is Grinch Chocolate Covered Oreos.
Ingredients:
Cookie Bars:
- Unsalted Butter (softened)
- Granulated Sugar
- Large Eggs (room temperature)
- Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Green Jimmie Sprinkles
Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter (softened)
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Bright Green Gel Food Coloring
- Red Gel Food Coloring
How to make Grinch Sugar Cookie Bars:
- Step 1. Preheat the oven and grease the pan. Preheat the oven to 375 or 350 depending on your oven. Lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan.
- Step 2. Cream the butter and sugar. In a spacious mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until thoroughly mixed and airy. Next, incorporate the eggs and vanilla extract. Stir for 1-2 minutes until they are fully combined.
- Step 3. Carefully stir the flour by hand. Next, gently mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt by hand. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, being cautious not to overmix.
- Step 4. Mix in the sprinkles. Add the sprinkles and gently stir them into the cookie dough.
- Step 5. Spread the dough into the baking dish. Press the dough firmly into the 9X13 baking dish and gently press it down. Cook for approximately 25 to 28 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle emerges without residue.
- Step 6. Allow to cool. Move the pan to a wire rack to allow the bars to cool completely.
How to make the frosting:
- Step 1. Combine the butter and sugar. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth with an electric hand mixer.
- Step 2. Add the milk and vanilla. Then add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Step 3. Divide the frosting. Place approximately ½ cup of the frosting in a separate bowl.
- Step 4. Add food coloring to the frosting. Dye the large bowl of frosting a vibrant green color and dry the smaller bowl a vibrant red color.
- Step 5. Top the cookie bars with frosting. Spread the green frosting on top of the cooled cookie bars.
- Step 6. Cut into bars. Cut the bars into 15 even pieces. Then pipe a small heart onto the center of each of the cookie bars with a round decorating tip.
- Step 7. Serve and enjoy the cookie bars. Then the bars are ready to serve and enjoy!
Jump to recipe below for complete instructions.
Storage
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Separate the layers with wax paper to they don’t stick to each other.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Yes, you can freeze these cookie bars. Place inside a freezer container. Separate the layers with parchment paper.
Freeze up to 3 months. Let the bars thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to serve.
Tips and Tricks
- Green and Yellow Food Coloring. You may need to add yellow food coloring with the green food coloring to get a nice vibrant green color. Try this for the best and prettiest cookie bars.
- Line the baking dish with parchment paper. This will make clean up easy and you can also easily lift from the pan.
- Measure the flour accurately. To achieve better accuracy, utilize a spoon when transferring flour into the measuring cup instead of directly scooping it. By doing so, you can avoid inadvertently packing excessive amounts of flour, which may adversely affect the taste of the bars.
- Jimmy Sprinkles. This type is recommended so that it does not bleed. Other types of sprinkles often bleed into the other ingredients.
Variations to try:
- Candy hearts. You can opt for candy hearts instead of piping hearts on the bars.
- Store bought icing. Save time and purchase store bought icing. You can buy white icing and color it green for the cookie bars.
- Flavored Extracts. Try adding various types of flavored extracts to the batter for a different taste. Some ideas include mint, vanilla and more.
These tasty cookie bars are so easy to make from scratch. They look so festive.
Print this Grinch Cookie Bars Recipe below:
Grinch Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Cookie Bars:
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 large Eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 4 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Green Jimmie Sprinkles
For the Frosting:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 2 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Bright Green Gel Food Coloring
- Red Gel Food Coloring
Instructions
For the Cookie Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix for 1-2 minutes until they are incorporated.
- Then hand stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Add the sprinkles and gently stir them into the cookie dough.
- Press the dough into the 9X13 pan and press the dough down slightly. Bake for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Move the pan to a wire rack to allow the bars to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth.
- Then add in the milk and vanilla extract and mix for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Place approximately ½ cup of the frosting in a separate bowl.
- Dye the large bowl of frosting a vibrant green color and dry the smaller bowl a vibrant red color.
- Spread the green frosting on top of the cooled cookie bars.
- Cut the bars into 15 even pieces and then pipe a small heart onto the center of each of the cookie bars with a round decorating tip.
- Then the bars are ready to serve and enjoy!