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)
Print Recipe
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!
oh yeaaaahhhhh- that sounds like a MAJOR production Vicki! but that is probably pretty cute 🙂
One of my fav cookies in bar form? Yes, please!
oh good Katrina! hope you like them!
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 😉
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!
Perfect for the holiday season!
Love these pretty in pink holiday bars
These look awesome! and so simple- double bonus!!
Yes- totally simple which is exactly what I like 🙂
These look so fab Heather!! Gorgeous!! 🙂
Thanks Amanda!
So pretty and festive Heather!
Thanks Marla 🙂
I love cookie bar cookies and this PINK – is unreal!!
Thanks Susan- with girls in the house, as much as possible is pink 🙂
Yum! These look amazing and so gorgeous.
Wow these looks so yummy! I love the pink frosting with the candy canes on top!
Thanks Elizabeth!
Loving these minty bars! So festive!!
I made these lastnight with my 7 yr old daughter. They are fabulous!
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?
of course Claire! no problem.
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?
yes- sorry- that is in one set and not the others. i will fix it!
Hey Heather, Our friend Sue, brought this recipe yesterday to our annual cookie bake-a-thon and they turned out great!
Thanks so much Julie!!
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!
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! 😉
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!
They look so Christmas. Looks easy to make. Will look good on a platter for party’s.
These look amaazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂
http://cafecraftea.blogspot.com/
I am going toa cookie exchange will make these. They sound very good.
Girl…. these look SO GOOD! I think Santa needs a couple on Christmas Eve.
I just made these for a holiday party that is tomorrow. should I keep them in the freezer until the party? Or will the icing be okay! they look great! thanks for the recipe!
I read a reply that said freeze the base only and add the peppermint crushed bits before serving as the candy bits would weep
Bree- YES!!! The candy cane bits definitely bleed when they thaw so that is a good idea.
How long do these keep for? Or, better put, if I wanted to make some for Christmas presents, how far in advance can I do them or how well do they freeze please? Thanks!
I think you could make these several weeks ahead of time, and just be sure to freeze them in a single layer and then you could stack them with wax paper in between.
Have you ever doubled the recipe? I’ve got a big Christmas party to go to and was wondering if it would turn out just as lovely in a 18×13 pan.
Sure, I don’t know why not- just make sure that the cookies in the middle are cooked through- you probably need a few minutes longer?
They should last in a container overnight in the cupboard right?
Oh yeah- for sure Laura!
how do you replace the peppermint extract?
I want to just verify that you use powdered sugar in the cookie part and not granulated? And 1/2 tsp salt? Just made them and something doesn’t seem right. Tastes more like maybe a pie crust than a cookie. Thanks.
Yes Amy, that is all correct- they are meant to have that really flaky texture.