Frosted Maple Cookie Bars

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These Frosted Maple Cookie Bars are soft, chewy and easy to make! The combination of maple flavor, cream cheese frosting and toffee bits makes them perfect for fall! It’s hard to eat just one!

 

Why You’ll Love Frosted Maple Cookie Bars

I love making desserts like these Maple Cookie Bars. They are so good, with lots of maple flavor in the bars and frosting! And they’re easy enough to make quickly and enjoy in no time! Here’s why you should give them a try.

• Easy to make. As mentioned, these are really easy to put together. The cookie dough comes together super quickly and the bars are much quicker to make than rolling individual cookies.
• Super soft. Bake them until they are just turning golden brown on the edges and are just slightly under done and you’ll have perfectly soft and chewy cookie bars.
• Cream cheese frosting. I used a light maple cream cheese frosting that pairs perfectly with the maple flavor!
• Perfect for fall. Although I’d eat a maple cookie bar any time of the year, the warm and cozy flavors really pair well with the fall. Trust me when I say you’ll want to eat the entire batch!

What You’ll Need For Frosted Maple Cookie Bars

Ready to bake? Read through these ingredient tips as you gather your what you’ll need. You can find full ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

For the Maple Cookie Bars

• Flour. Be sure to measure it correctly to avoid dry, dense cookies. I always recommend a food scale.
• Baking soda. For a little rise and tender texture.
• Unsalted butter. Use it at room temperature. If you have salted butter, that will work too, just leave out the added salt.
• Salt. Without some salt, your cookie bars will be bland.
• Sugars. This recipe uses regular white granulated sugar and light brown sugar. The combination of sugars adds to the soft, moist texture of the bars and gives them a hint of caramelized flavor.
• Egg. Use a large egg for this recipe (not medium or extra large).
• Maple extract. To flavor the cookie bars.

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese. Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese and bring it to room temperature before making the frosting. You’ll find softened cream cheese is easier to blend and less likely to leave lumps in your frosting.
• Unsalted butter. Bring it to room temperature to prevent lumpy frosting.
• Powdered sugar. Helps to sweeten the frosting and add volume. It also affects the consistency of the frosting. If you reduce it, it will be thinner.
• Maple extract.
• Toffee bits. For decoration. Feel free to leave them off.

How to Make Frosted Maple Cookie Bars

These delicious fall cookie bars whip up in a flash. Check out the step-by-step photos and directions for a quick tutorial. More comprehensive directions can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the Maple Cookie Bars

• Prepare to bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper.
• Make the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and maple extract until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

• Fill pan and bake. Press the cookie dough evenly into the pan and bake until the edges begin to turn golden, about 17-23 minutes. Don’t over bake!
• Cool. Allow to set and cool completely in the pan, 2-3 hours.

Make the Frosting and Finish the Bars

• Make frosting. When the bars are totally cool, make the frosting. Beat the room temperature cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar and maple extract, mixing until smooth.
• Top bars. Spread frosting onto the cooled bars and sprinkle with toffee bits, if desired.
• Cut and serve. Lift the cookie bars out of the pan with the parchment paper handles, cut into slices and serve.

Tips for Success

To make sure your bars turn out perfectly every time, follow these tips.

• Measure the flour properly. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s actually one of the most common reasons baked goods don’t turn out well. The best way to measure flour is by weight, using a food scale. If you don’t have a food scale, use the spoon and level method so that you don’t accidentally add too much flour and make the cookie bars dry and dense.
• Don’t skimp on cream time. When mixing the butter and sugars, be sure to do so until they’re fully creamed. You should be able to see the change in color and texture.
• Don’t over mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until the ingredients are all incorporated. Over mixing can lead to dense cookies.
• Don’t over bake. Pull your cookie bars from the oven when the edges are turning golden, even if the centers appear a little undercooked. The center will continue to cook and firm up as the bars cool. If you wait until the centers appear done, they’ll be over baked.
• Cool completely. Let the bars cool in the pan. This gives the bars time to finish cooking, and makes them easier to remove from the pan without breaking.

Storage Information

• Make ahead. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time. It keeps well up to 5 days in the fridge. However, keep in mind that the toffee bits might become soft or a little soggy in the fridge. You can wait to top the bars with the toffee bits until just before serving.
• Refrigerate. Store leftover bars in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It’s best to eat them within 4-5 days.
• Freezer. These bars will also freeze well, but I’d recommend leaving off the toffee bits until just before serving. Place the bars in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or wrap them well in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Bars will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, bring them to room temperature and top with toffee bits before serving.

More Fall Recipes

• Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
• Easy Brown Sugar Cookies
• Cinnamon Roll Blondies
• Apple Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookie Bars
• No Bake Salted Caramel Coconut Macaroons
• Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

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