Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars Dessert For Two

These thick sugar cookie crust topped with cream cheese frosting and decorated with Valentine’s Day hearts went viral on Pinterest years ago, and so many of you have made them a part of your holidays. From birthday sprinkles to Christmas chocolates, Halloween candy, or just plain, these are sure to become a classic in your recipe box.

What would you do if you were in a grocery store and overheard a woman asking where the cream cheese is, and as she picked up a tub of whipped cream cheese, she then explained that she was planning on making a cheesecake? Would you chime in to say that whipped cream cheese isn’t the best for making a cheesecake? Would you circle the store while you tried to decide what to do? Am I the only weird one who is upset by this? I understand why she finds it confusing–it’s more common to see a tub of whipped cream cheese. It’s in the fridge at work, and it’s what you see at the bagel shop. It is not interchangeable, however! I’ve wondered how her cheesecake turned out more than a few times over the past few days, and decided the only way I could apologize to her was to make her a dessert that used whipped cream cheese, like these sugar cookie bars with whipped cream cheese frosting.

Butter. The base of every good sugar cookie is high-quality unsalted butter. I like to bake with European-style butter because it has a slightly higher fat percentage, but any stick of butter will work here. We need one stick for the sugar cookie bar base and another half-stick for the frosting. Sugar. One-half cup of white granulated sugar. Egg. One large egg. Don’t you love when my small batch desserts use the entire egg? Vanilla. The flavor of vanilla really shines in sugar cookie bars, so use real vanilla extract, Bourbon vanilla is my favorite. Flour. One and three-quarter cup all-purpose flour that you fluff, spoon into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. Baking Powder. One-half teaspoon of baking powder to help them rise in the oven. Salt. A small amount of salt is crucial here to balance the super sweet cookie base and super sweet whipped cream cheese frosting. Whipped Cream Cheese. Yes, we’re baking with whipped cream cheese, even though I said it’s very rare to bake with this product. It’s perfect in this smooth, creamy cream cheese frosting. Powdered Sugar. For lightly sweetening the frosting. Don’t forget any kind of sprinkles or candy decorations that you want to add on top.

For Valentine’s Day, I use heart-shaped candies on top. For Christmas, red and green M&Ms are cute on top. For Halloween, I use black and orange sprinkles. For St Patrick’s Day, green sprinkles. You can truly make these custom for any holiday you are celebrating.

Holidays - Mix up the toppings to reflect the current holiday. This is what I did for my Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars–same recipe, different topping. You could use robin eggs on top for Easter, like I did in my Robin Egg Blondies. The hearts are great for Valentine’s Day, but use Halloween sprinkles, Hannukah stars, shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day, and flags for Froth of July. Decorate them however you like–this recipe is so versatile! Vegan - I have successfully used vegan butter, vegan whipped cream cheese, and vegan egg substitute for this recipe, and it works great. For reference, I use the Miyoko’s vegan butter, Trader Joe’s brand of vegan cream cheese, and the ‘Just Egg’ brand of artificial liquid eggs. Use 3 tablespoons of a vegan egg substitute to equal one real egg. The ‘Just Egg’ brand is the most similar to real eggs, and is made with mung beans.

I keep these on the counter for up to 2 days, and beyond that, I move them to the fridge. You can store already baked cookie bars in the freezer, defrost, and then spread the cream cheese topping on just before serving. SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave Butter: The base of every good sugar cookie is high-quality unsalted butter. I like to bake with European-style butter because it has a slightly higher fat percentage, but any stick of butter will work here. We need one stick for the sugar cookie bar base and another half-stick for the frosting.Salt: A small amount of salt is crucial here to balance the super sweet base.Whipped Cream Cheese: Yes, we’re baking with whipped cream cheese, even though I said it’s very rare to bake with this product. It’s perfect in this smooth, creamy cream cheese frosting.Storage: These bars must be refrigerated because of the cream cheese in the frosting. They keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen (without frosting) for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge, make the frosting and serve.

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