Peppermint Sheet-Pan Bars

When it comes to Christmas cookie baking, these peppermint sheet-pan bars are going to be the MVP of this year’s cookie tin. These cookies have it all. There is a tender, almost chewy base that is somewhere between a sugar cookie and a blondie. There are swoops of minty cream cheese frosting with swirls of red and pink like a candy cane. Finally, these cookies nail the effort to yield ratio. The bars can be cut into 24 good-sized and very festive squares or into 72 bite-sized cookies, perfect for gifting or sharing. What’s more, the cookie bars look nail the holiday look—no special decorating skills required.

Smoothing the buttery, slightly sticking sugar cookie dough into an even layer can be a little tricky though, so here are some of our go-to dough smoothing strategies.

Tip #1:
Instead of scraping all of the dough onto a certain part of the baking sheet, dollop big spoonfuls of dough all over. Use a rubber spatula or offset spatula to gently spread the spoonfuls together. You can even use your fingers to nudge cookie dough into all of the corners.

Tip #2:
Once the cookie dough is in a mostly even layer, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper on top and use a rolling pin to gently smooth the dough into an even layer.

Tip #3:
If the dough is feeling too sticky, pop the whole baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes. The butter will firm up just enough and the dough will be easier to wrangle.

Did you make these peppermint sheet-pan cookies? Let us know in the comments!