Strawberry Shortcake Cookie Bars
Thick and chewy sugar cookie bars topped with silky whipped cream cheese frosting and homemade strawberry sauce. It's strawberry shortcake in irresistible cookie bar form, deliciously light, and perfect for a crowd!
Servings 12 squares
Equipment
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Bars
- 2 Cups + 2 Tbsp (283g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- 3/4 Lb (340g) fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and quartered.
- 2 1/2 Tbsp (31g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp (8g) cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) water
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 Cup (4oz, 113g) full-fat brick-style cream cheese*, cold see notes for substitution options
- 1/2 Cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 Cups (300ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
Garnish
- fresh strawberry halves and slices
Instructions
Make the Sugar Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang for easy release once the cookies are baked. Spray any exposed sides of the pan with baking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to medium and add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until combined, then add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until a uniform cookie dough forms.
- Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan in an even layer, all the way to the edges. If it feels too sticky, lightly wet your hands before pressing the dough down. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown (I took mine out at 18 minutes). It will continue baking as you cool it in the pan.
- Cool the sugar cookie bars in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Homemade Strawberry Sauce
- Because of the cooling time needed, the strawberry sauce is best made while the sugar cookies are baking/cooling, or you can make it up to 5 days ahead of time. Start by hulling and halving the strawberries. Reserve about 1/3 of the strawberries and set them aside. Add the remaining strawberries into a medium saucepan along with the granulated sugar and lemon juice.
- Stir the strawberry mixture to combine and cook over medium heat until the strawberries release their juices and the mixture begins to simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to simmer until for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
- Remove the strawberry mixture from the heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture, then continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the strawberry sauce is thick enough to coat the back of your spatula, 1-2 minutes. Remove the strawberry sauce from the heat and fold in the reserved strawberries, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator to cool for about an hour, or up to 5 days ahead of assembling the cookie bars.
Make the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- For best results, make this right before assembling the cookie bars. Place the mixing bowl of your stand mixer (or the large bowl you'll be using with your hand mixer) into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill before you begin.
- Into the cold mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed with the whisk attachment until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until mostly incorporated, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and mix for about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and whisk attachment as needed.
- Add the vanilla extract, then turn the mixer to medium-high speed and slowly pour in the heavy whipping cream. Once all the heavy whipping cream has been added, continue mixing on medium-high for just about 30 seconds longer, keeping a close eye on the mixing bowl to watch it thicken. It should come together into a thick, silky whipped cream frosting consistency at this point. To check the consistency, turn the mixer off and dip your spatula into the frosting. It should hold a peak when you hold it upright.
- Use the whipped cream cheese frosting immediately to assemble the strawberry shortcake cookie bars, or store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days. It may deflate slightly if you make it ahead of time, which is why I recommend making it right before assembling the cookie bars.
Assembly
- Once you have all of your elements cooled and ready, transfer the sugar cookie bars cake to a serving platter (or remove the paper backing and place them back in the baking pan if you wish!). Add all of the whipped cream cheese frosting on top and use an angled spatula to smooth it to the edges. No need to be too detailed here – this cake is meant to look rustic with swoopy, imperfect frosting. Finally, top with the strawberry sauce, leaving a little room around the edges so the whipped cream cheese frosting can peek though. Garnish with fresh strawberry halves and slices.
Notes
*Cream Cheese: if you can't find full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the frosting, do NOT substitute with low-fat or spreadable cream cheese. Instead, substitute with an equal amount of mascarpone cheese or make the stabilized whipped cream frosting from my Black Forest Cake recipe instead!
Make Ahead Tips:
- The sugar cookie bars can be made ahead and stored at room temperature in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The strawberry sauce can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- The whipped cream cheese frosting is best served the day of assembly, but you can make it up to 2 days ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- The assembled strawberry shortcake cookie bars are best served the day of assembly, but you can assemble them up to 2 days ahead of serving and store in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.