King Cake Sugar Cookie Bars (Printable Version)

Sweet sugar cookie bars topped with vibrant icing and colored sanding sugars, inspired by King Cake flavors.

# What You Need:

→ Sugar Cookie Base

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
05 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
06 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - Zest of 1 lemon

→ Icing

11 - 2 cups powdered sugar
12 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Decoration

14 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar or sprinkles

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
03 - Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
06 - Spread the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan with a spatula.
07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set. Do not overbake.
08 - Let the cookie base cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
09 - Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable.
10 - Spread the icing evenly over the cooled cookie base.
11 - Immediately sprinkle purple, green, and gold sanding sugars in sections or in a decorative pattern.
12 - Allow icing to set for approximately 30 minutes before slicing into bars.

# Cooking Tips:

01 -
  • They're foolproof enough to make with a crowd in the kitchen but impressive enough that everyone thinks you spent hours on them.
  • The buttery cookie base stays tender for days, making them perfect for baking ahead when party prep gets hectic.
  • One batch yields 24 bars, so you can feed a crowd without tripling a recipe or stressing about portions.
02 -
  • Don't overbake these bars—they continue to cook slightly as they cool, and pulling them out when the center still looks just barely set keeps them tender and not dry.
  • If your kitchen is warm, the icing will set slower, so you might need to refrigerate the bars for 10 minutes before slicing to get clean edges.
03 -
  • If your kitchen is cold, the dough might be stiff before you've spread it into the pan—let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to become more pliable.
  • The sanding sugar sticks best to wet icing, so have your colors ready and sprinkle immediately after icing or the pattern won't be as vibrant.
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