These Lemon Cookie Bars are an easy treat with an intense lemon frosting. They are perfectly chewy, sweet, and tart and great for just about any occasion.
If you love cookie bar recipes, be sure to try our chewy Christmas Cookie Bars, Chocolate Cookie Bars, Lemon Blondies, and our Orange Cookie Bar Recipe too.
Best Lemon Cookie Bars
This easy Lemon Cookie Bar Recipe is quickly going to become a family favorite. They are based on my favorite sugar cookie recipe which is just a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe where I use all white sugar instead of using white and brown.
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These cookie bars are baked on a baking sheet then slathered with lemon buttercream frosting once cool. The result is a dense, chewy, and buttery cookie bar topped with zesty lemon frosting that is incredibly simple to make. I love to bring these to baby showers, potlucks, or anywhere else where you need to feed a crowd.
Key Ingredients
- Flour – all-purpose flour works great for these cookie bars.
- Baking Soda – this helps to keep the dough nice and soft and allows the cookies to rise slightly in the oven.
- Butter – your butter should be softened to room temperature before making the dough. If you forget to pull it out ahead of time, microwave gently for about 10 seconds at a time just until soft.
- Sugar – you will need white granulated sugar for these cookie bars.
- Eggs – it helps to have your eggs at room temperature so that they don’t shock the butter when added to the dough. You can run them until warm water if needed.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- Butter – you can use either salted or unsalted butter, depending on the flavor profile you like. Either way, your butter needs to be soft. You can pull it out at room temperature or warm slowly in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time just until soft.
- Powdered Sugar – it helps to add this in a few batches rather than all at once.
- Fresh Lemons – you will need both the juice and zest from a fresh lemon. You may need to add slightly more lemon juice depending on the consistency of the frosting that you are going for.
- Lemon Essential Oil – adding this isn’t completely necessary but it does enhance the lemon flavor quite a bit.
How To Make Lemon Cookie Bars
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- Mix the rest of the sugar cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Slowly add the eggs, then beat on low until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Don’t overmix.
- Press dough into a baking sheet. Lightly spray a 12″ x 17″ baking sheet with nonstick spray (or line with parchment paper). Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan as evenly as possible.
- Bake. Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for 20-25 minutes ,or until just barely golden brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Make the Lemon Buttercream Frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and beat using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar on low speed, then increase to medium to combine. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon essential oil, and vanilla extract. Mix again until light and fluffy. Adjust with lemon juice or powdered sugar as needed to get the desired consistency.
- Assemble the cookie bars. Spread the lemon buttercream frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars. Top with sprinkles if desired. Cut into bars or squares before serving. Enjoy!
Tips for Making the Best Lemon Cookie Bars
- Make sure you have your butter at room temperature for your cookies and your frosting. If you forget, you can microwave it for about 10 seconds at a time just until soft.
- You can bake these in a 9″ x 13″ pan if you like thicker cookie bars or you can bake it on a bigger cookie sheet. We made them in both sizes. The flavors are equally delicious but we all liked the thinner cookies a little more.
- Frozen Lemon Cookie Bars taste amazing!
Frequently Asked Questions
Because these cookie bars have a buttercream frosting, they should be stored in the fridge. They can sit out, however, for quite some time before needing to be refrigerated so they are perfect for serving at parties.
Yes! In fact, they actually taste amazing frozen. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month in the freezer if they are frosted, or 2 months if they are not frosted.
If your lemon buttercream is a little too runny, you can easily fix it by adding a bit more powdered sugar. Add just about 1/4 cup at a time until you get the right consistency.
Yup! If you would rather bake these as individual cookies, just roll into 1″ balls and place about 1-2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake as directed in this recipe, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time if necessary.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerator: store cookie bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: frosted cookie bars can be stored frozen for up to 1 month. Unfrosted cookie bars can be stored for up to 2 months.
Lemon Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Sugar Cookies
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 drops lemon essential oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter, sugar, and vanilla extract and beat using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy—about 3 minutes. Slowly add the eggs, then beat on low until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Don't overmix.
- Lightly spray a 12" x 17" baking sheet with nonstick spray and press the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan as evenly as possible.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes ,or until just barely golden brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Lemon Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and beat using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed at first, then increase to medium until well combined.
- Turn the mixer off and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon essential oil, and vanilla extract. Mix for another minute or so until light and fluffy again. If your frosting is a little too dense, add a teaspoon of lemon juice. If your frosting is too runny, add another half cup of powdered sugar.
Assembling
- Spread the lemon buttercream frosting evenly over the cooled cookie bars and cut into bars or squares before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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These Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars are an easy bar cookie with an intense lemon frosting recipe. They are perfectly chewy, sweet, and tart!
