Candy Cane Sugar Cookie Bars
December 9th, 2012
These cookies will melt in your mouth. Tender, buttery, sugary and covered in a sweet peppermint frosting and crispy little candy cane crumbs.
I also love the convenience factor of these bars. Instead of having to roll out the dough and cut cookies out, you can just bake it all at once and slice them after they have been frosted.
I baked these a couple weeks ago and they were such a hit that I made a second batch with the girls this weekend as we watched the entire Christmas Clay-mation series- you know like those Rudolph and Baby New Year and Rudolph and the Abominable Snowman movies. Pete freaking loves those movies, and will let the kids watch them over and over again. Have you seen those recently? jeez- they are really weird. Especially the one with Baby New Year and that gross old buzzard bird Eon…
And now excuse me as I have to go stand in line for Santa pictures for the next 3 hours…
*By the way, if you want to freeze these do not put the candy cane crumbs on them- the candy will kind of melt when they thaw and not be nearly as pretty as well as a little messy. You will be better to put the candy cane sprinkles on after thawing the cookies.
To make these cookies, this is what you do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter, salt and sugar. Add the yolks and mix well. Add the flour and mix until you have a uniform dough.
Press the dough evenly across the bottom of the pan.
Bake the dough for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and let cool.
While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting:
Combine all of the frosting ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and whip until fluffy and pink.
Transfer all of the frosting to the cooled sugar cookie dough and spread evenly.
Immediately sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Slice into bars and serve.
Recipe: Candy Cane Sugar Cookie Bars
Summary: makes 24 bars
Ingredients
- Sugar Cookie Bars:
- -1 cup butter
- -½ teaspoon salt
- -¾ cup powdered sugar
- -2 egg yolks
- -2 1/4 cups flour
- Peppermint Frosting:
- -½ cup butter
- -3 cups powdered sugar
- -1/3 cup milk
- -½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- -2 drops pink food coloring (optional)
- -5 candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.
- 2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter, salt and sugar. Add the yolks and mix well. Add the flour and mix until you have a uniform dough.
- 3. Press the dough evenly across the bottom of the pan.
- 4. Bake the dough for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and let cool.
- 5. While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting:
- 6. Combine all of the frosting ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer and whip until fluffy and pink.
- 7. Transfer all of the frosting to the cooled sugar cookie dough and spread evenly.
- 8. Immediately sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- 9. Slice into bars and serve.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 12 minute(s)
They are so pretty! I’ll definitely give these a try. They sound delicious. The train in Sacramento does a Polar Express Santa Run where all the kids wear pajamas, etc etc Thank goodness the other set of grandparents do that one!
8:56 am on December 9th, 2012
One of my fav cookies in bar form? Yes, please!
9:21 am on December 9th, 2012
oh yeaaaahhhhh- that sounds like a MAJOR production Vicki! but that is probably pretty cute :)
9:34 am on December 9th, 2012
oh good Katrina! hope you like them!
9:34 am on December 9th, 2012
I love sugar cookies, but I always become a stress case when I try to make the cut out ones. These look perfect, and I especially love that they’re pink ;)
10:40 am on December 9th, 2012
Bar cookies are so great! Your pictures are so good I think I can taste them! I’m adding these to the “just on more” thing to make before the holidays!
11:30 am on December 9th, 2012
Perfect for the holiday season!
7:17 am on December 10th, 2012
Love these pretty in pink holiday bars
8:22 am on December 10th, 2012
These look awesome! and so simple- double bonus!!
10:58 am on December 10th, 2012
These look so fab Heather!! Gorgeous!! :)
11:53 am on December 10th, 2012
Thanks Amanda!
11:56 am on December 10th, 2012
Yes- totally simple which is exactly what I like :)
11:56 am on December 10th, 2012
So pretty and festive Heather!
11:56 am on December 10th, 2012
I love cookie bar cookies and this PINK – is unreal!!
11:58 am on December 10th, 2012
Thanks Susan- with girls in the house, as much as possible is pink :)
12:35 pm on December 10th, 2012
Thanks Marla :)
12:35 pm on December 10th, 2012
Yum! These look amazing and so gorgeous.
7:42 pm on December 10th, 2012
Wow these looks so yummy! I love the pink frosting with the candy canes on top!
11:12 pm on December 10th, 2012
Thanks Elizabeth!
7:26 am on December 11th, 2012
Loving these minty bars! So festive!!
8:48 am on December 11th, 2012
I made these lastnight with my 7 yr old daughter. They are fabulous!
2:19 pm on December 13th, 2012
These are so pretty – I have made Candy Cane cookies for years but there is no frosting on mine – I love the idea of having pink frosting and the ease of a bar cookie – they look delicious. Would you be okay with my reblogging your post?
11:28 pm on December 15th, 2012
of course Claire! no problem.
7:14 am on December 16th, 2012
These look so yummy and pretty, we are making them for my daughter’s Girl Scout cookie exchange. Quick question – you have two egg yolks in the ingredient list, but don’t reference them in the instructions. Assume you add after you cream the butter and sugar, before adding flour?
9:58 am on December 16th, 2012
yes- sorry- that is in one set and not the others. i will fix it!
12:56 pm on December 16th, 2012
Hey Heather, Our friend Sue, brought this recipe yesterday to our annual cookie bake-a-thon and they turned out great!
6:49 pm on December 19th, 2012
Thanks so much Julie!!
7:36 pm on December 19th, 2012
Baked these yesterday and they turned out great! Super easy and so tasty. I was even able to make these while entertaining my 3 month old daughter, love the pink frosting for her first christmas:) thanks for the great recipe!
4:20 pm on December 21st, 2012
I have been craving these, but thinking they are so Christmas-y that I couldn’t make them. Then, I got inspired: I am making them as shamrock shake cookies for St Patrick’s day by tinting the icing green & using the green & white Starlight mints! Genius, if I say so myself! ;)
8:24 am on March 14th, 2013
Kristin- I agree! Very genius!! Send me a picture if not too much trouble- I bet they will be so cute. In fact I am totally inspired!! Maybe I will make them today like that you brilliant girl!
8:40 am on March 14th, 2013