Halloween Cookie Bars
Easy Halloween cookie bars are soft and chewy and topped with a fluffy vanilla frosting that is perfect for festive sprinkles. This is a perfect make-ahead dessert for a Halloween potluck party or last-minute treat for the kids.
My kids and I took a vote: If you had to choose to bake one kind of treat forever would it be individual cookies or cookie bars?
9x13-inch cookie bars, especially ones with frosting on top, won the poll hands-down. We love the ease of popping that baking pan into the oven all at once instead of fussing with individual cookie sheets for an entire batch!
So when Halloween movie night came around, I didn't even have to think twice. I baked these sweet Halloween cookie bars with fluffy vanilla frosting and Halloween sprinkles in one easy baking session the day before.
We love to eat them cold, so I planned ahead to let them chill in the fridge but they're just as delicious served fresh if you don't have the patience to wait. (And I sure wouldn't blame you! They're just that good.)
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Soft and Chewy Texture: The cookie bar base has the most decadent texture, your teeth will sink right into it.
- Fluffy Frosting: The vanilla frosting comes together in a minute and can be tinted any color you like. I went with festive orange, of course!
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can bake the cookie bars in advance or go ahead and completely frost them and store them in the fridge. I think they're even more delicious the next day!
Ingredients
- Butter: I used salted butter, if you use unsalted, you'll want to add a pinch of salt to the cookie dough and frosting.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Eggs
- Baking Powder
- Corn Starch
- Vanilla
- Food Coloring Gel: I keep this basic food coloring gel kit in my pantry. It doesn't affect the texture of my frostings or baked goods.
- Sprinkles: Any festive sprinkles will work. I had a jar of a sprinkle mix that is very close to this one.
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Make the Cookie Bar Dough
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat them together until light and fluffy, scrape down the bowl.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat them in. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.
Add the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Mix them in until just combined.
Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and transfer the dough to the pan.
The dough will be very thick and sticky. Spread it as evenly as you can with the back of a spatula.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the cookie bars for 15 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
Let it cool completely before attempting to decorate or your frosting will melt over the warm cookie bars.
Decorating Tips
My easy vanilla frosting is perfect for a 9x13-inch cookie bar. You might want to use it for other recipes, so I created a separate step-by-step post about it. You can print my vanilla frosting recipe here, but don't worry I included the instructions in the recipe card below, too.
Tint your frosting any color you wish. For Halloween, I would recommend orange, purple, or green.
I'm generally not a huge fan of black frosting, but that would be on theme for the holiday if you wish.
Spread the prepared frosting evenly over the cookie bars and then immediately sprinkle your sprinkles over the top.
The frosting will set pretty quickly and once it does, your sprinkles will just bounce off.
Have them ready to go and then gently press them into the top of the frosting to ensure a good "stick."
Make Ahead Tips
Because the vanilla frosting has so much milk in it, you will definitely want to store the frosted cookie bars in the fridge.
You can bake the cookie bar base in advance and then frost and decorate it before serving if you prefer room temperature frosting.
I prefer to bake, cool, and frost & decorate the cookie bars all at once and then chill them overnight before serving. My family loves cold frosting!
Variations
If you don't enjoy sprinkles (or they hurt your teeth), you could also decorate the sweet treats with:
- Candy corn
- Candy pumpkins
- M&M candies
- Or simply frost them and serve them plain!
Serving Suggestions
I baked these Halloween cookie bars ahead of movie night over the weekend as a special treat "just because."
I think they'd make the perfect Halloween potluck party dessert since the 9x13-inch pan travels so easily!
More Halloween Treats
Looking for more delicious Halloween recipes? Here are a few more of my favorite sweet treats:
📖 Recipe
Halloween Cookie Bars
Ingredients
For the Cookie Bars:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the Frosting:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter softened
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 - 2 drops orange food coloring gel optional
- Sprinkles for decorating the top optional
Instructions Start Cooking
Bake the Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat them together for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating them in and scraping the bowl as needed each time. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat them in.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
- Spread the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake the cookie base for 15 minutes, it should be just barely golden brown on the edges. Cool completely, for about an hour or up to 24 hours in advance.
Frost and Decorate
- Add the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla to the stand mixer bowl. Beat them together on medium speed. Slowly drizzle about half of the milk in and continue to beat the frosting. If it is still too thick, add the reserved half of the milk and beat until fluffy. If you want to tint the frosting, add the food coloring gel now and stir it in.
- Spread the prepared frosting over the cooled cookie base. Immediately add sprinkles if using, the frosting will set and the sprinkles won't stick if you try to add them later. It helps to gently press them into place. Keep the pan of cookie bars chilled in the fridge until serving so the milk in the frosting doesn't spoil.
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