I love sugar cookies. What I don’t love is a long-term commitment in the kitchen during the work week. These monster sugar cookie bars were the perfect way to make (and sample) sugar cookies without hauling out the cookie cutters. And, still, celebrate the Halloween season in the kitchen.

When I first saw these sugar cookie bars it was a baking epiphany. Before I found this version of a sugar cookie, it never occurred to me that I could make sugar cookies without cookie cutters.

Using a new sugar cookie recipe was a big deal; I had used this Cooking Light sugar cookie recipe for over a decade. But, this popular millennial blogger changed everything for me.

Proving those of us over 40 can learn new baking skills.

The concept was simple and to the point. It required sugar cookie dough, pressed into a baking sheet. That’s it.

The cookie cutter step was using a knife to cut rectangular shapes (bars) and add frosting. The frosting is my best baking friend (BFF) in the kitchen.

It covers up the glitches. And, for these monster sugar cookie bars, the googly eyes created little monsters. And the Halloween shades of purple and green frosting were a break from pumpkin orange frosting.

Monster Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

FROSTED SUGAR COOKIE BARS

adapted from Inspired by Charm

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Line baking sheet with foil (for thicker bar use a smaller baking sheet).
In a large bowl: sift flour, baking powder & salt.
In separate bowl cream butter, sugar for about 3 minutes.
Add egg, sour cream and vanilla
Slowly add the flour mixture
Press the dough onto the baking sheet, bake for about 14 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup half and half or whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Food Coloring & sprinkles
Once cookie bars are cool spread the frosting on the cookie bar.Frost as desired the flour mixture
Press the dough onto the baking sheet, bake for 14-17 minutes until edges are lightly golden.FrostingOnce cookie bars are cool spread the frosting on the cookie bar.Frost as desired