These irresistible Frosted Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars are perfectly soft and chewy with citrus flavor in every bite. Made with simple ingredients and in less than an hour, these cookie bars are perfect for when you want something quick but still homemade and impressive.

Frosted lemon sugar cookie bars cut into squares and arranged on parchment paper atop a white wooden surface. A wooden lemon juice nearby for decoration.

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If you’re craving something bright, sweet, and impossibly easy to make, these frosted lemon sugar cookie bars are exactly what your spring (or summer!) dessert table needs. They’re soft and chewy like your favorite sugar cookie, bursting with fresh lemon flavor, and topped with the dreamiest lemon cream cheese frosting. The best part? They come together in under an hour–no chilling, no fuss.

These bars are a luscious lemony twist on my frosted sugar cookie bars (which are always a hit), and if you’re into easy lemon desserts, you need to check out my no-fuss lemon bars with graham cracker crust. Think of this recipe as the happy marriage between a sugar cookie and a lemon bar, with a rich, creamy frosting to seal the deal.

Close-up of several frosted lemon sugar cookie bars arranged on a light surface. The bars have a dense, soft texture and are cut into squares.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s a quick breakdown of a few ingredients that make these lemon sugar cookie bars extra soft, chewy, and loaded with flavor:

Cornstarch: Don’t skip this ingredient! It helps give the bars that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Butter: We’re using unsalted butter for a rich, buttery base. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature so it creams nicely with the sugar.
Lemon: Fresh lemons are a must! We’re using both zest and juice, so make sure to zest your lemon before juicing it!
Vegetable Oil: A little goes a long way here! It helps create that soft and chewy texture that sets these cookie bars apart from your typical sugar cookie.
Egg + yolk: Using a whole egg plus an extra yolk will give you the perfect texture, that chewy and a slightly dense texture that we want. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature!

Please see the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.

Step-By-Step Instructions

A glass bowl with flour and a whisk, two brown eggs, a small dish of lemon zest, and a pinkish kitchen towel on a white wooden surface.

Whisk the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

A glass bowl containing a creamy, pale yellow mixture of butter and sugar, partially mixed together, sitting on a light pink cloth.

Cream the butter, lemon zest, oil, and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, lemon zest, and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. You want it to look pale and airy. Then stream in the oil and mix until incorporated.

Creamed butter and sugar mixed with eggs and vanilla in a glass mixing bowl.

Add the egg, yolk, vanilla, and lemon. Crack in the egg and the extra yolk, then add the vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy. Pour in the lemon juice and mix to combine.

Mixed lemon sugar cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl with a white rubber spatual.

Mix in the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing on low until just combined. Don’t overmix–you want a soft dough.

Lemon sugar cookie dough spread into a 8-inch square baking pan set on a white wooden surface.

Spread the dough into the pan. Press the dough evenly in your prepared baking pan. It helps to lightly wet your hands or use a small offset spatula to smooth it out–it’s a thick, sticky dough, but bakes up beautifully.

Lemon cream cheese frosting mixed in a glass mixing bowl set on a pink kitchen towel.

Bake and frost! Pop the pan into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are barely golden and the center looks set. While waiting to cool, whip up the lemon cream cheese frosting.

Tips for the Best Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

Weigh your ingredients. Having a digital kitchen scale not only makes it easy to prep, but it also gives you consistent measurements every time!
Use a light-colored aluminum pan. Dark pans can brown the edges too quickly, which means you might end up with dry bars. A light-colored aluminum pan bakes more evenly and helps keep everything soft and tender.
Don’t over-zest the lemon. Only zest the bright yellow part of the peel. The white part underneath (aka the pith) is bitter and can throw off the flavor. Use a microplane and go gently–just a few scrapes per section is perfect.
Let the bars cool before frosting. If you frost too soon, the warm lemon bars will melt your beautiful frosting into a puddle. If you are in a hurry, pop the bars into the fridge to cool down quickly.

Frosted lemon sugar cookie bars cut into squares and arranged on parchment paper atop a white wooden surface.

How to Store These Frosted Cookie Bars

Fridge: Because of the cream cheese frosting, these cookie bars should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll stay fresh and soft for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and foil. When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw in the fridge overnight, then frost fresh before serving for best results.

Love cold dessert bars? These frosted cookie bars are also delicious straight from the fridge–a light chilled lemony treat. But if you prefer them soft and a little gooey, just let them sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

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