Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookie Bars combine a chewy lemon layer with a rich strawberry frosting. It is super easy and so yummy.
Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookie Bars are soft and delicious. Each bite is packed with the perfect amount of flavor. You will love this easy recipe and it’s one of the best Strawberry Desserts. Make sure you also try Strawberry Delight Recipe.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
From the sugar cookie crust with the perfect amount of lemon flavor to the frosting with fresh strawberries, this recipe is irresistible. Everyone will love these bars and they are really simple to make.
Another must try recipe is Strawberry Lemonade Bundt Cake.
Ingredients
Cookie Bars
- Unsalted Butter. The butter should be softened at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla is best.
- Fresh Lemon Juice. Skip the bottled lemon juice and use fresh lemon.
- All Purpose Flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping.
- Fresh Lemon Zest. This adds so much flavor.
Frosting
- Unsalted Butter. Softened at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar. Sift the powdered sugar to make sure it is smooth.
- Finely Chopped Strawberries. The pieces need to be very small.
Find the complete ingredients for this recipe at the bottom of the page.
Variations and Substitutions
- Topping. Serve with whipped cream when serving to make these bars even more decadent.
- Lemon Juice. Fresh lemon juice is best but you can substitute store bought if needed.
- Plain frosting. Omit the strawberries to serve these with a plain frosting.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Preheat the oven and prepare the pan. Set the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan with cooking spray. You can also line with parchment paper if you desire.
Step 2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and light and fluffy.
Step 3. Then add in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix together and add the fresh lemon juice and milk. Then hand stir in the flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
Step 4. Spread the cookie dough into the baking dish. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Then allow to cool.
Step 5. While they cool, make the frosting. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add in the chopped strawberries to the mixture. Beat until the strawberries break down and are well incorporated into the frosting.
Step 6. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookie bars.
Step 7. Then the bars are ready to slice, serve and enjoy!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. We recommend placing parchment paper in between the layers to prevent them from sticking.
How long will they last?
If the bars are stored properly, they will last up to 1 week.
Pro Tips
- Topping. We love to use fresh strawberries to garnish the bars when ready to serve.
- Food processor. The strawberries should be finely chopped. You can use a food processor but just make sure that you do not process them to fine.
- 9×13 pan. This size pan results in the perfect bars. We don’t recommend using an 8×8 baking dish as the bars will be too thick.
- Don’t overmix the bars. The sugar cookie layer is easy to make but should not be overmixed. Just combine until blended but don’t excessively mix.
- Evenly spread the dough. Spread the batter into the pan as evenly as possible for cookie bars that are the same thickness once baked.
- Allow to cool before frosting. The sugar cookie layer needs ample time to cool before frosting. Don’t rush this step or the frosting will melt.
- Frosting. Feel free to add extra powdered sugar if needed for a thicker frosting.
More Cookie Bar Recipes
- Magic Cookie Bars Recipe
- Strawberry Lemon Blondies Recipe
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
- 73 Cookie Bar Recipes
Try this delicious recipe with buttercream frosting. Then come back and leave a comment and star rating. I love hearing from you!
Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIE BARS:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Zest
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 2 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9X13 baking pan.
- To Make the Cookie Bars: 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 mix in the fresh lemon juice and milk.
- Then hand stir in the flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Then spread the dough into the 9X13 pan and press the dough down slightly. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. The middle should be just set and the edges should have a very slight color on them. (It will look slightly unbaked but the bars will continue to set as they sit). Then move the pan to a wire rack to allow the bars to cool completely.
- To Make the Frosting: Cream together the butter and powdered sugar until combined and smooth. Add in the chopped strawberries. Beat until the strawberries break down and are well incorporated into the frosting.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cookie bars.
- Then the bars are ready to slice, serve and enjoy!
