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Sourdough Sugar Cookie Bars are soft, buttery, and sweet with a tender crumb that melts in your mouth. There’s no need to roll or cut out these; just press the dough into a pan and bake. Finish with buttercream frosting and sprinkles for a delicious, easy treat.
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I love making cut-out sourdough sugar cookies, but sometimes I don’t want to deal with rolling, cutting, and decorating them. These thick sugar cookie bars have all the flavors I love without the extra work. Plus, you can change out the sprinkles for different holidays from Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, and more!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- No chill time. This recipe doesn’t require any chill time, similar to my S’mores Sourdough Cookie Bars, making it a quick and easy treat.
- So soft These sourdough sugar cookies bars have the best texture and are so thick and delicious.
- Uses discard. Don’t let your sourdough discard go to waste. Using it in recipes like this one, or in my Sourdough Fruit Pizza, not only use it up but gives it great flavor and added moisture!
- Great for any occasion. This recipe is as versatile as my sourdough sprinkle cookies and can be used year-round. Change the frosting color, sprinkles, or decorations to fit any holiday or occasion.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sourdough Discard – Sourdough discard refers to unfed sourdough starter that is no longer active and bubbly.
- Flour – I recommend using all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. I use salted.
- Extracts – If you don’t have almond extract on hand, you can swap it for lemon extract or more vanilla extract.
See all the ingredients in the recipe card.
Instructions to make Sourdough Sugar Cookie Bars
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together using the paddle attachment. Alternatively, add to a medium bowl and beat together with hand beaters.
Step 2: Add in the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sourdough discard. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed together.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the mixture, including the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix until combined.
Step 4: Press the dough into a greased or parchment paper lined 8×8 pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes.
Step 5: Let the cookie bars before adding the frosting.
Step 6: Cream together the butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Step 7: Once the cookie bars are cooled, top with the frosting and sprinkles.
Step 8: Cut into 9 bars and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use slightly damp hands when pressing the sugar cookie dough into the pan to help prevent sticking.
- Don’t over-bake the cookie bar or they will get crumbly! Pull it out when the top has lost its sheen.
- Use softened butter when mixing the cookie dough and the icing to make it easier to cream with the sugars.
Storage Instructions for Cookie Bars
To store the sourdough sugar cookie bars, cover them and store on the counter at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for about 5. They are delicious at room temperature or straight from the fridge.
To freeze unfrosted cookie bars, place them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. To freeze frosted bars, flash freeze them in a single layer for a couple of hours until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. When defrosting, separate the bars so they don’t stick to each other.
Recipe FAQ
Yes. After pressing the dough into the pan, cover it and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It can be tricky to tell when these bars are done baking since you don’t want them to brown, which usually means they’re overbaked. I look for the dough to lose its shiny sheen on top and appear set in the center while still pale.
If your bars are coming out crumbly, they are overbaking so next time, shorten the bake time until the top is losing its sheen.
If you want to use a 9×13-inch pan double the cookie dough recipe. If you want to use a 9-inch pan you likely can bake it in there, but your bars will be much thinner and will bake in less time.
More sourdough Desserts
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
Sourdough Discard Sugar Cookies
Sourdough Discard Recipes
The Best Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sourdough Cookie Recipes
The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Sourdough Cookie Bars
Sourdough Discard Recipes
S’mores Cookie Bars (with sourdough discard)
Tried these Sourdough Sugar Cookie Bars or another recipe from the site? I’d love to hear about it! Drop a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments—can’t wait to see what you’re baking!
Sourdough Sugar Cookie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie
- 113 grams salted butter, ½ cup, softened
- 130 grams sugar, ⅔ cup
- 1 large egg, 50 grams
- 75 grams sourdough discard, ⅓ cup
- 5 grams vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
- 2 grams almond extract, ½ teaspoon
- 3 grams baking powder, ½ teaspoon
- 3 grams salt, ½ teaspoon
- 210 grams all-purpose flour, 1½ cups
Icing
- 113 grams salted butter, ½ cup
- 240 grams powdered sugar, 2 cups
- 30 grams milk, 2 Tablespoons
- 3 grams vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together using the paddle attachment, or use hand beaters. 113 grams salted butter, 130 grams sugar
- Add in the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sourdough discard. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined. If the ingredients are cold, the mixture will likely curdle; you don't need to mix until smooth. 1 large egg, 75 grams sourdough discard, 2 grams almond extract, 75 grams sourdough discard
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixture, including the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix until combined. 210 grams all-purpose flour, 3 grams salt, 3 grams baking powder
- Using slightly damp hands, press the dough into a greased or parchment paper-lined 8×8-inch pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes until the top has lost its sheen. It will still be pale; don't wait until it is browned, or it will be overbaked.
- Let the cookie bars cool in the pan or on wire cooling rack.
- Cream together the butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. 113 grams salted butter, 240 grams powdered sugar, 30 grams milk, 3 grams vanilla extract
- Once the cookie bars are cooled, top with the icing and sprinkles.
Video
Notes
- If you want to bake a larger batch in a 9×13-inch pan, double the recipe.
- To long-ferment the dough, press the dough into the pan and cover it. Leave it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Use slightly damp hands when pressing the sugar cookie dough into the pan to make it easier to spread with less sticking.
- Don’t over-bake the cookie bar or they will get crumbly! The bars will be pale after baking. Pull it out when the top has lost its sheen.
- If you prefer a cream cheese frosting, use the following measurements.
- 56 grams softened butter , ¼ cup
- 112 grams softened cream cheese, ½ cup
- 240 grams powdered sugar, 2 cups
- 30 grams milk, 2 Tablespoons
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were a hit for my family! So easy to make and delicious!
Thank you so much for the review!
Easy and delicious! Will become a staple
Easy and delicious! Will become a staple for me!
Thanks so much, Emily!
So good! Only recommendation would be less almond extract as it was a pretty strong flavor
Thanks for the feedback, Brittney!
I love your recipes! I’m hoping to double the recipe in a 9×13 – any idea how long to cook it?
Timing will likely be pretty comparable maybe an extra couple minutes.
Can I use unsalted butter in both the cookie bar and the icing? I didn’t get as much baking done over the holidays and I have a lot of unsalted butter in my fridge.
Absolutely, you may just want to add a sprinkle of salt in the icing.
Is there a sugar alternative that you would recommend? Allulose, powdered stevia, or maybe even coconut sugar?
I haven’t tried any to know for sure. I think the best option would be coconut sugar. If you try it let me know how it goes.
What you suggest as an egg substitute? My son is allergic.
These look incredible! Do you think I can omit the almond extract as my daughter has a tree nut allergy?
Absolutely! You can either omit altogether or add in more vanilla extract.
These sugar cookie bars are so thick and chewy! They are a new favorite at our house.