These Better-than-Swig sugar cookie bars are a hit with everyone! They’re dense, soft, sweet, and have a hint of almond. Frosted sugar cookies are one of my all time favorite treats! I’ve been known to eat half a pan of these guys in one sitting—they are dangerous.
What are Swig Cookies?
If you’re from Utah (or visited) you may be familiar with Swig n’ Sweets, if you’re not familiar with it, they are a soda and cookie shop. Their pink frosted sugar cookies are pretty famous in Utah.
I recently moved from Utah to California and I am going through some serious Swig withdrawals—gimme a dirty diet coke and sugar cookie please! As much as I miss my Swig cookies, I think these are even better!
How to get clean cut cookie bars
One of my favorite things about these sugar cookie bars, besides how easy they are, and how delicious they are, is they cut up beautifully! I’ve never had any problems getting these cookies out of a greased pan, but if you want to make it even easier to get these cookies out, line the pan with parchment paper!
The secret it getting these cookies to slice up nice and cleanly is to chill the sugar cookie bars before cutting them up. The frosting and cookie bars will cut cleanly and give you those perfect layers.
Make these cookies for any occasion!
These cookies are my go-to treat to make for any potluck, party, no matter the season! I deck them out for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s, Day, and even the 4th of July!
Why are my Better-than-Swig Sugar Cookie bars dry and crumbly?
These cookies are super soft and moist and should never be dry and crumbly! If your cookies are dry and crumbly you likely did one of two things—you either added too much flour or over baked your sugar cookie bars!
- You added too much flour: It’s super easy to add too much flour to your baked goods if you aren’t measuring your flour properly. So check out our tutorial that breaks down how to measure your flour correctly!
- You over baked your cookies: These cookie bars might look a little doughy when you pull them out of the oven. That is how they are supposed to look! These cookie bars are thin, so they will continue to cook a little in their hot pan as they cool and continue to set up. So when in doubt, pull them out! If you bake them for too long they’ll dry out.
How to double or half this recipe
I usually make these Swig sugar cookie bars in a 9x13 pan, but if you’re baking for a large or small crowd you may want to double or half the recipe.
- Double the Recipe: To double the recipe, make a double batch of the dough and press it into a jellyroll pan/cookie sheet that is 13x18 inches. Use about the same bake time as for the 9x13, maybe 1-2 minutes longer.
- Half the Recipe: To half this recipe, use an 8x8 inch pan (the cookie bars will be slightly thinner) and bake for the 12-14 minutes. To half the recipe, instead of using a whole egg, use just the yolk.
If you love cookies, try out these other recipes!
- Soft, No Spread Sugar Cookies
- Pressed Almond Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Better-than-Swig Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¾ cup flour measured correctly
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt don’t leave this out, trust me
- Food coloring optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9x13 pan. Cream together butter, oil, and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add egg, water, vanilla and almond extract and beat until smooth
- Stir in flour, salt, baking powder until it is just combined—don’t over mix it. It doesn’t take much to combine it.
- Spread dough in the greased pan and bake for 12-14 minutes. If they look underdone, don’t worry! They will continue to cook a little and set up in the pan as they cool. If baked for longer they’ll be dry and crumbly.
- While the bars are baking, cream together butter and powdered sugar for frosting. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches the right consistency. Then add in the remaining frosting ingredients together until smooth. I like to frost the bars while they are just barely warm; it gives them a very smooth top. Feel free to top with sprinkles!
- Cool completely before slicing and serving. I love mine chilled!
Video
Nutrition
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Originally Posted August 19, 2018
I've never been to a Swig before, so can't speak to if they're similar. But omg...these cookies are sooo delicious! I love the almond flavor. The cookie was so buttery and soft (baked for the 14 min).
I'll likely make less frosting next time, there's so much and it made it really sweet, but that's personal preference. Otherwise, perfect recipe!!
LOOks so delicious. I love how you can use it in various ways .
CrazyAsk
Sounds delicious! Do these freeze well once baked? Any tips for freezing them? Thanks!
Hi Katie! These freeze great once baked! I like to cut them up and wrap them individually, that way it's easy to pull one out of the freezer whenever you want 🙂
- Alyssa
A friend of mine made these for a party. They were drool worthy!
Aw so happy you enjoyed them! They’re crazy addicting!
Just made them for a party I'm going to! Soooo yummy! When you do double them - how long do you bake them for?
I usually do them for the same amount of time since they are the same width!
Just made these! They are delicious.
These are absolutely delicious! It’s slmost a cross between cookie dough, and a cookie, due to the moistness of the cookie. The hint of almond flavoring was perfection! Yummm
These look so good. I can't wait to try them!