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June 15, 2015 58 Comments

Swig Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe



 

A white plate with a stack of three sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other with a bite out of a corner of the top bar. Faded in the background are more cut frosted sugar cookie bars. Overlaid at the bottom is the text reallifedinner.com.

The Best Sugar Cookie Bars Ever!

I’ve never been to “Swig,” but I tried a knockoff recipe for their cookies a couple of years ago and adapted it to make my own Knockoff Swig Sugar Cookies. The cookies are soft and chewy with slightly crispy edges. The flavor is unique and perfect. They quickly became one of my favorite cookies. 

When I make them, I do a couple of slight adjustments to the recipe because I don’t keep cream of tartar around, and I use cream cheese instead of sour cream in the frosting.

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I love sugar cookies, but don’t always love the extra time/love it takes to make them. I decided to make these yummy cookies in bar form and boom baby! So much faster, easier, and AWESOME! Best Sugar Cookie Bars EVER!!!

When you’re done making these, check out my other Swig Cookie Bar Recipes.

How to Make Swig Sugar Cookie Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer, thoroughly cream butter, oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until combined.
  • Next, add the egg, water, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
  • Add the flour and sprinkle in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix for approx. 1 minute or until completely combined.
  • Spread/press the cookie mixture evenly into the greased 9×13 pan. (I like to use a sandwich baggie on my hand to press it down evenly. Spray baggie with cooking spray if necessary.)

A glass 9x13 baking dish with dollops of cookie dough with a hand with a sandwich baggie over it held above the dish.

  • Next, evenly sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar over the uncooked bars before placing them in the oven.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until edges are just barely turning a light brown. Do not over-bake or the bars will be dry.
  • Let the bars completely cool, and then frost with frosting recipe before cutting.
  • Make the frosting.
  • Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla with a hand mixer or whisk.
  • Next, add in the milk or cream until nice and smooth.

A glass bowl of pink frosting with a metal utensil inserted on the right.

  • Frost bars when they are completely cooled.

A glass 9x13 baking dish of Swig Sugar Cookie Bar Recipe with pink frosting with a diagonal design.

  • Delicious and pretty…..!
  • Enjoy!

Three sugar cookie bars stacked on a white plate with a bite taken out of the corner of the top bar. Faded in the background are more cookie bars. The text of the title and reallifedinner.com is overlayed on the center of the photo.

Tips for How to Make Swig Sugar Cookie Bars

  • I use one of my favorite tips in this recipe. The dough is a little too thick to spread well and a little too sticky to press down without a big mess on your hands. I slip a sandwich baggie over my hand and spray it with cooking spray. I then quickly press the dough down evenly in the pan, and viola, my hands stay clean.
  • Also, I like to keep the finished cookie bars refrigerated. They don’t need to be refrigerated. I just like to eat them cold. Does that make me weird?
  • …and really quick. Let’s have a chat about how much an offset spatula can change your life when trying to frost something in a pan. Totally worth the ten bucks.

A Pinterest collage photo of a small plate of three Swig Sugar Cookie Bars stacked on top of each other with a bite taken out of a corner of the top one. Faded in the background are more swig cookie bars. The text of the title is at the top.

Baker’s Tools for Cookie Bars:

  • 9×13 Baking Dish
  • Cooking Spray
  • Stand Mixer
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Cooling Rack

Pinterest picture with three sugar cookie bars with pink frosting stacked on top of each other on a small white plate. The top cookie bar has a bite taken out of the corner. The text Swig Cookie Bars separates the photo and the recipe's ingredient list at the bottom.

Must-Make Swig Sugar Cookie Bars

Lemon-Swig-Cookie-Bars-4Lemon Swig Cookie BarsToasted Coconut Swig Sugar Cookie Bars in a glass 9x13 dish cut into 15 squares.Toasted Coconut Swig Cookie Barssprinkle loaded funfetti cookie bars topped with swig buttercream and more rainbow sprinklesFunfetti Swig Cookie Bars

4.8 from 11 reviews
Swig Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
30 mins
 
Best Sugar Cookie Bars Ever!!! So much faster and easier than traditional sugar cookies but just as fun and delicious. You can substitute sour cream in place of the cream cheese in the frosting if desired.
Author: Maria
Recipe type: Cookie Bars
Cuisine: Dessert
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • ½ cup softened butter
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable oil
  • ½ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • pinch of baking soda, approx 1/16 of a tsp
  • a little extra granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of dough before baking (about 1-2 TBSP)
  • FROSTING:
  • ¼ cup softened butter
  • 1 ounce softened cream cheese
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • dash of vanilla
  • 1-2 tbsp milk or cream
Instructions
  1. DIRECTIONS FOR COOKIE BARS:
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
  4. Using a stand mixer, thoroughly cream butter, oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar until combined.
  5. Next, add the egg, water, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
  6. Add the flour and sprinkle in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix for approx. 1 minute or until completely combined.
  7. Spread/press the cookie mixture evenly into the greased 9x13 pan. (I like pressing a sandwich baggie on my hand to press it down evenly. Spray baggie with cooking spray if necessary.)
  8. Next, evenly sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar over the uncooked bars before placing them in the oven.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are just barely turning a light brown. Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry.
  10. Let the bars completely cool, and then frost with frosting recipe before cutting.
  11. DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING:
  12. Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla with a hand mixer or whisk.
  13. Next, add in the milk or cream until nice and smooth.
  14. Frost bars when they are completely cooled.
  15. Enjoy!
3.5.3251

Sugar Cookies You'll Love!

A cooling rack with soft and fluffy sugar cookies.Soft and Fluffy Sugar CookiesKnockoff Swig Sugar CookiesHeart-shaped sugar cookies frosted and decorated sitting on a black wire cooling rack.Easy Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe

A three-photo Pinterest collage with the text of the title in the middle. It has three pictures in it. There is one photo at the top of a white plate with a stack of three sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other with a bite out of a corner of the top bar. Faded in the background are more cut frosted swig sugar cookie bars. The bottom left photo is three sugar cookie bars stacked on top of each other with a bite out of a corner of the top bar. The bottom right photo is a glass 9x13 baking dish of Swig Sugar Cookie Bars with pink frosting with a diagonal design.

Other Swig Sugar Cookies & Bars Recipes
  • Swig Sugar Cookies
  • Better-than-Swig Sugar Cookie Bars
  • The Best Swig Sugar Cookies {Copycat Recipe}

Brownies/Bars, Desserts, Reader Favorites, Recipes
best sugar cookie bars, best sugar cookie bars recipe, Cookie Bars, copycat swig sugar cookies recipe, Sugar Cookie Bars, sugar cookie bars recipe, Swig Sugar Cookie, swig sugar cookie bars, swig sugar cookie bars recipe
58 Comments

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58 Comments

  1. Whitney

    July 12, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    How much milk is needed for the frosting?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      July 18, 2015 at 10:42 pm

      Hi Whitney, you need a tablespoon or two of milk for the frosting….just add it a little at a time until it is the consistency you prefer.

      reply to this comment
      • Laura

        July 17, 2022 at 4:09 pm

        These are wonderful

        reply to this comment
        • Maria

          July 23, 2022 at 4:57 am

          Thank you Laura!

          reply to this comment
    • Candice

      April 22, 2021 at 12:36 am

      I can’t wait to try making these! I love the Swig cookie recipe but don’t often have time for individual cookies. Making them into bars is the perfect solution!

      reply to this comment
      • Maria

        April 27, 2021 at 7:05 am

        I hope you love them! They are one of my favorites and for that exact reason! Love me a good bar recipe!

        reply to this comment
  2. Shelli Nisly

    July 13, 2015 at 6:09 pm

    These bars look DELICIOUS, and I want to make them, but you did not specify the quantity of granulated sugar. How much do you use?

    reply to this comment
    • Shelli Nisly

      July 13, 2015 at 11:09 pm

      Never mind. Not sure what I was looking at, but I see it now.

      reply to this comment
    • Maria

      July 18, 2015 at 10:41 pm

      Hi Shelly, The recipe calls for 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and then you need an additional tablespoon or two for sprinkling over the dough right before baking. I hope you love the bars, thanks for coming to my site.

      Maria

      reply to this comment
  3. Shami

    July 15, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    How much granulated sugar do you put in these?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      July 18, 2015 at 10:38 pm

      Hi Shami, The recipe calls for 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp of granulated sugar for the cookie bar dough and then an additional tablespoon or two for sprinkling over the dough right before baking.

      reply to this comment
  4. Amber

    August 12, 2015 at 8:00 pm

    Howdy! They look good. I’m curious though, do the cookies come out crunchy or soft?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      August 12, 2015 at 10:01 pm

      The edges are just a titch crunchy and the rest of the cookie is soft and amazing.

      reply to this comment
  5. Annie @Maebells

    September 3, 2015 at 3:23 pm

    These look so fantastic!!

    reply to this comment
  6. Maris (In Good Taste)

    September 3, 2015 at 3:53 pm

    I’m a big fan of any and all bar cookies. Delicious!

    reply to this comment
  7. Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet

    September 3, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    Oooh, these look perfect!

    reply to this comment
  8. Melanie | Melanie Makes

    September 3, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    I hate making traditional sugar cookies because they’re so labor intensive and, let’s face it, I have no patience for the mess they create. This looks like the perfect compromise!

    reply to this comment
  9. Maryanne @ the little epicurean

    September 3, 2015 at 11:42 pm

    No, you’re not weird at all! I keep certain cookie bars in the fridge because I just like them better cold. Also great tip about the sandwich bag!

    reply to this comment
  10. Andi @ The Weary Chef

    September 4, 2015 at 10:33 am

    These bars look fantastic! And thanks for sharing your favorite tip. Would also love to try that. 🙂

    reply to this comment
  11. eat good 4 life

    September 4, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    Oh boy. I wish I could have a couple of pieces. Looks scrumptious!

    reply to this comment
  12. Melissa

    September 30, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Made this recipe tonight and used a mocha frosting instead. Delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      October 1, 2015 at 1:03 pm

      Awesome! Glad you liked them!

      reply to this comment
  13. Malia

    December 4, 2015 at 2:30 am

    Hi these are so good! My co worker made them and told me where I could find the recipe! Quick question, I know they are for bars but I was hoping to make them into more of a cookie form for Christmas cookies. Is the time and oven temp going to be the same?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 5, 2015 at 12:10 pm

      Hi, I actually make these as cookies all the time. I just do circles though, I have never tried cutting them into shapes because I don’t think the dough will roll very well. I just make ball, dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and use it to flatten the dough ball into a circle. The cooking time does change, they bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

      reply to this comment
  14. Cindy

    December 15, 2015 at 8:43 pm

    Your photos look great, but do these cut easily? I’m considering making for gifts but I want them to look good for a cookie tray!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 16, 2015 at 12:42 pm

      Yes, once the frosting is set, they cut very well. They are so good, people will love you for adding these to your cookie tray. 🙂

      reply to this comment
  15. Donna

    January 30, 2016 at 10:13 am

    Have you ever added a little almond extract to the recipe? I always find it makes sugar cookies so good! Can’t wait to make this!!!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 16, 2016 at 8:32 pm

      Not in this recipe I haven’t but I often do in my other favorite sugar cookie recipe, or I put it in the frosting. YUM!

      reply to this comment
    • Susie

      August 12, 2016 at 5:12 pm

      I love almond in sugar cookies as well. Do you add it in addition to the vanilla or in place of?

      reply to this comment
      • Maria

        August 12, 2016 at 9:45 pm

        I just do it in place off, but it wouldn’t hurt to have both of those together.

        reply to this comment
      • Nicole

        September 28, 2024 at 11:08 am

        Have you ever tried to use a cookie cutter after baking or do you think they will fall apart?

        reply to this comment
        • Maria

          November 21, 2024 at 9:31 pm

          I haven’y tried it, but I do think it might be tricky to get them out with out having them break.

          reply to this comment
  16. Joee

    February 28, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    Does the frosting really only have 1 oz cream cheese???

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 28, 2016 at 6:03 pm

      yes, it gives it just a tiny little zip. 🙂

      reply to this comment
  17. Kristie

    May 9, 2016 at 3:33 pm

    These turned out great! I was able to make them for my friend’s baby shower. Thanks for sharing!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      May 10, 2016 at 9:10 pm

      Glad to hear it Kristie! Now I wish I had one. 🙂

      reply to this comment
  18. Lynette

    July 5, 2016 at 5:04 pm

    The link to the sugar cookie recipe on Mother Huddle seems to be broken. Is it pretty much the same?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      July 21, 2016 at 11:02 pm

      Yes, it is. Just form dough into balls, dip a glass cup in granulated sugar and press dough ball into a flat cookie shape. bake 9-10 minutes on 350

      reply to this comment
  19. Kristie

    September 9, 2016 at 4:39 pm

    Have I told you how much I love these??? Thanks for sharing! They are always a big hit. I made sure to share the link for them in my latest blog post. I made them at my friend’s shower and I had request for the recipe.

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 11, 2016 at 6:34 pm

      Awesome! Glad you like them, they are such a fun and easy recipe. Your blog is super cute. Loved all the sprinkle ideas!

      reply to this comment
  20. Melanie Rosen

    November 17, 2016 at 7:10 pm

    These are great! I made them today and they are delicious! Thank you for a great recipe. So much easier than individual cookies…I’m a bar cookie fiend!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      November 18, 2016 at 3:01 pm

      Yay! So glad you liked them. I am all for anything easy and delicious! Cookie bars for the win!

      reply to this comment
  21. Halle

    February 24, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    Hi I just barely made these bars for a family party! Everyone is going to love them! How do you store them? In the fridge or in the pantry? I don’t want them to dry out at all! Thanks for the awesome recipe they look so good! I love Swig so these are probably really good!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      March 7, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      Hi Halle, I am sorry I didn’t see this comment earlier. I usually keep them in the fridge, just because I like how they taste cold. As long as you keep them in an air tight container or covered tightly they should be fine.

      reply to this comment
  22. Diane

    September 9, 2017 at 10:59 am

    Do you think I could double this recipe and use a jelly roll pan?diane

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      September 13, 2017 at 2:01 pm

      Yes, I have done that and it works great. It may need a couple extra minutes to bake. Check it with a toothpick in the center.

      reply to this comment
  23. Katie

    December 18, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    I’ve made these for my Christmas goodie plate the last couple of years. They’re always a hit and always turn out great. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 28, 2019 at 10:52 pm

      I love hearing this Katie, you are so welcome!

      reply to this comment
  24. Christine

    February 19, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    These are so amazing, family of 4 polished them off in 4 days :). The icing was really good too and icing is not my forte. Will definitely be making these again #febgiveaway

    reply to this comment
    • Christine

      February 19, 2021 at 5:52 pm

      I many *2 days** whoops!

      reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 20, 2021 at 12:13 pm

      This seriously makes me so happy! So glad everyone loved them! They don’t last long at our house either.

      reply to this comment
  25. LaRaine

    February 20, 2021 at 3:39 am

    These look so so delicious!!! I can’t wait to make them. 😋

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 20, 2021 at 12:12 pm

      Thanks LaRaine, I hope you love them! One of our favorites for sure!

      reply to this comment
  26. Kim Golding

    February 20, 2021 at 10:32 am

    I’m drooling over here! I love Swig cookies, so I’m totally making these soon!!

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 20, 2021 at 12:16 pm

      Love hearing that Kim! These are definitely a family favorite at our house!

      reply to this comment
  27. Leslie

    May 5, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    Just made these and they are DELICIOUS!
    Yummy. Thanks Maria! 🥰🥰😋

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      May 11, 2021 at 4:19 am

      Yay! So glad you liked them!

      reply to this comment
  28. Callie

    July 13, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    #julygiveaway

    reply to this comment

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Welcome friends!

Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


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