Red Velvet Cookie Bars

These red velvet cookie bars are soft and chewy with a delicious red velvet flavor and tangy cream cheese frosting. These cookie bars are essentially a big batch of red velvet sugar cookies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Red Velvet Cookie Bars, Red Velvet Sugar Cookie Bars

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 25

Cooling 1

Total Time 2 10

Servings cookie bars

Calories 459kcal

Author Fiona Dowling

Equipment

9x13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cookie Bars

2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar light or dark
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk in addition to the full egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring liquid or gel, feel free to use less
½ teaspoon vinegar distilled or white vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup unsalted butter softened but not starting to melt
8 ounces full-fat cream cheese be sure to use brick style
2 ½ - 3 ½ cups powdered sugar sift if lumpy
¼ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons cream whipping cream or table cream, if needed

Instructions

Red Velvet Cookie Bars

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch (23x33 cm) pan. Alternatively, line with parchment paper so that there's an overhang around the edges.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamed.
Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, red food coloring and vinegar into the butter mixture until you no longer see lumps of butter.
Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture (if lumpy, sift the dry ingredients into the bowl). Then mix together, starting with the mixer on a low speed. Mix together until you no longer see lumps or streaks of dry ingredients.
Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and spread/press into an even layer. If you plan to press it down, use a piece of wax paper in between your hands and the dough so that the dough doesn't stick to your palms.
Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top looks set and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool the bars fully before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until you no longer see lumps of butter.
Sift in 2 cups powdered sugar and add in the vanilla and salt. Beat together, starting with the mixer on a low speed.
Beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about ½ cup at a time until the desired sweetness and thickness is reached. If needed, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream.
If you lined your pan with parchment paper, lift the cooled bars out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment and place on a cutting board. If you simply greased the pan, leave the bars in the pan.
Frost the cooled bars using a flat edge knife. Optionally, decorate with sprinkles.
Slice with a thin, sharp knife.

Notes

Eggs: You will need 2 eggs for this recipe. You will use 1 large egg and just the egg yolk of the second egg. They should be at room temperature before making the bars.
Cream Cheese: Be sure to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese.
Storage: Store frosted cookie bars covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cookie bars can be wrapped tightly and frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie bar with frosting, assuming all the frosting is used and the pan is sliced into 15 uniform bars.

Nutrition