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Soft and chewy Pumpkin-Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars are packed with white chocolate chips, making them seriously irresistible! Top these easy bar cookies with creamy pumpkin spice frosting made with browned butter for the ultimate big-batch fall dessert. You can even use a 1:1 flour to make them gluten free!
Looking for more delicious fall baking ideas? Try these Gluten Free Pumpkin Cookies and my fluffy Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
Cookie bars are the easiest and most delicious shortcut to sugar cookie flavor! These Sugar Cookie Bars with Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Frosting have all the buttery, sugary goodness with half the work, plus creamy bursts of white chocolate chips.
And then there’s the frosting! Rich and nutty with a buttery texture, flavored with just enough pumpkin and a hint of warm spices. You can’t get better than this decadent pumpkin frosting paired with the simple but delicious flavors of these chocolate chip sugar cookie bars. This cookie bar recipe is a must-try this fall! Here’s why you’ll love them…
- Quick and easy. This recipe for soft and chewy dessert bars comes together super easily, with no chilling required! Just a versatile 13×18-inch pan and a few simple (and seasonal) ingredients.
- Feeds a crowd. In a fraction of the time it would take to chill, roll, and cut out traditional sugar cookies, you can make a huge batch of sugar cookie bars. They are perfect to make for a party or fall bake sale!
- Are you gluten free? No problem! Just like my classic Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Bars, you can make these with a cup-for-cup blend that contains xanthan gum.
What You’ll Need
The simple ingredients list for these White Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookie Bars make it a great recipe for easy fall baking! Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make these fun and deliciously sweet dessert bars. You can find the full amounts and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
For the Cookie Bars
- Flour: All-purpose flour does the trick and yields the most consistent results. If you are gluten free, you can substitute Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Blend
- Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature will yield the best possible cookies!
- Sugar: Half white granulated sugar and half light brown sugar for the perfect moisture and flavor.
- Eggs: Whole large eggs.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- White Chocolate Chips: The sweet centerpieces of these sugar cookie bars! If you are using the gluten free flour, make sure your chips are gluten free. For example, Ghirardelli is not, but Nestle Toll House is.
For the Frosting
- Butter: 1 full stick of unsalted butter, plus ½ stick softened at room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar or regular brown sugar for that rich caramelized flavor.
- Pumpkin Puree: Note the real, pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Find the premix in the local supermarket or make your own blend of spices. See my Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe to learn how.
- Powdered Sugar: For a smooth frosting texture.
Tips for Success
Satisfying a sugar cookie craving has never been easier, but I’ve got a few things for you to keep in mind when you make them:
- Don’t overmix. Like most cookie recipes, you’ll combine the dry ingredients, then cream the butter and sugar and blend in the eggs before you gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Be mindful to not overmix as this will lead to tougher, chewier cookies!
- Prep the pan. Make sure your 13×18-inch baking pan is lined with parchment paper. This makes for super easy removal after baking (not to mention less cleanup!). I also found that spraying a spatula (and even my hand) with a light layer of cooking spray can make it easier to press the dough into the corners.
- Avoid overbaking. When done, the cookie bars will just be lightly golden, not brown, and a toothpick comes out clean. If baked too long, they will get dry and hard.
- Keep an eye on the browned butter. Don’t be intimidated by the browned butter frosting! Err on the side of getting the butter just barely browned, keeping in mind that it will brown more in the warm pan after it’s removed from the heat. Keep an extra close eye when cooking the butter to ensure it doesn’t burn and you’ll be positively golden (just like your browned butter!). While the recipe card has all the steps, you can read more details about the buttercream in my Pumpkin Frosting post.
- Make ahead. Both the chocolate chip cookie bars and the frosting can be made ahead separately a day or two in advance. Keep the cookie bars at room temperature and the frosting in the fridge until you’re ready to frost, cut, and serve them.
- Double the recipe. These easy sugar cookie bars are great for larger get-togethers and special occasions! Simply double the recipe for the bars and the frosting. You can also adapt this dessert bars recipe to a sheet pan, keeping in mind that the baking time will be shorter.
Variation Ideas
You can keep this recipe simple or mix it up to different tastes – this really is the most versatile dessert recipe. Here are some suggestions for cookie and frosting variations. Once you decide how you want to make them, then you can decorate your sugar cookie bars with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, candies and more!
Instead of White Chocolate Chips (or in addition to!):
- Milk or dark chocolate chips
- Crushed nuts (like pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts)
- Cranberries
- Toffee bits
- M&Ms, chopped Reese’s, or other small candies
- Or just a plain and simple sugar cookie!
Frosting Alternatives:
These Sugar Cookie Bars can be kept and stored in the same pan they were baked in! Just cover the pan snuggly with foil or place the whole thing in a resealable bag if it fits. Otherwise, you can also store the cookie bars in an airtight container (use parchment paper between the layers). They’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week!
Can I Freeze These?
Sugar Cookie Bars freeze incredibly well! Place the baked (and even frosted) cookie bars into a freezer-safe, airtight container, using parchment paper to separate the layers if needed. You can keep them frozen for up to 3 months! Just thaw the bars overnight with the lid on the container (to retain moisture!), and serve them cold or at room temperature. Alternatively, you can freeze the unfrosted bars and then frost and serve them after they’ve thawed.
More Easy Dessert Bars to Try
If you love dessert bars, here are more easy baking ideas to try:
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 5 cups all-purpose flour or gluten free 1-to-1 flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
For the frosting:
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided, ½ stick at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 1/2-4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and grease or line a 13×18 inch baking pan with parchment paper (I use the parchment to make them easier to remove).
- Sift or whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
- Combine the butter and sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and cream with stand mixed or hand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
- Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in the white chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough on the prepared pan (I spray a spatula and sometimes my hand with cooking spray to do this).
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean (it won’t look done, so use the toothpick test).
- Cool completely, then frost and decorate as desired.
- Cut into small squares.
For the frosting:
- Slowly melt one stick of the butter in a pan over medium-low heat, then cook slowly until butter is golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Place remaining softened ½ stick of butter and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until creamy.
- Slowly beat in the browned butter, then add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, beating until combined.
- Gradually add 3 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until thick and fluffy, adding additional powdered sugar if needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Notes
- Sugar Cookie Bars adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything
- Frosting adapted from Picky Palate
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
These bars look so good and I love the pumpkin frosting – I’m sure it’s super delicious ♥
I hope you have a chance to try the recipe, Natalie!
Words cannot describe how badly I am craving one of these cookie bars right now. Think I could devour a whole bowl of that pumpkin spiced frosting by itself too.. great recipe!
These looks delicious. Sugar cookies are the best and so versatile. Pinned!
Brown butter with chocolate chips and sugar cookie bars- wow–there are no words — I’m drooling right now!
These look and sound so delicious! How’s the move coming along? They are always such a hassle. I can sympathize, it looks like my husband’s job will be moving us over the river to NJ in the new year. Best of luck to you!
These look amazing Brianne! Wish I had one right now!
Yep, I concur. I wouldn’t have been able to choose between those photographs either. Beautiful pics!
There are so many delicious words in this title that I can’t even get my head around them all! Pinning for sure 🙂
These look wonderful-pinned it. Found your blog on the Inspiration Monday link party and started following on Google + and Bloglovin.
Erin
http://theeveryday-mom.blogspot.com/
These look so light and delicious!
Brianne, I’m so glad you decided to include all nine pictures because these bars are just gorgeous! I love a thick sugar cookie bar and I’m sure the brown butter just makes the frosting taste fabulous:) Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I need these in my life. Pumpkin and white chocolate are so so so good together!
The photos are just amazing, and I’m sure the bars taste just as spectacular. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I am a huge fan of white chocolate and pairing these scrumptious cookie bars with pumpkin frosting sounds incredible!
Ugh, major life decisions. Can’t we just build pillow forts and color all day while we pretend we aren’t adults anymore? And of course we can eat all of these cookie bars in our fort 😉
I feel your pain. We bought our first home this summer, and getting it where I want it with a full time job, part time events business, my blog, and a husband in law school, I tend to just like blank out on the big decisions. I’d rather make your cookie bars, instead!
What gorgeous photos! I’m sure it was hard to get them down to just 9! They beg to be photographed. And they look absolutely delicious!!
We should trade – I feel like I always have something to say, but I look at my pictures and want to cry. One of these bars would make me feel better 🙂
You had me at sugar cookies and kept me with that fab frosting…drool!!!
Lots of pretty pictures for sure and super tasty bars to be featured in them. Lovely fall treat.