These cheerful Pink Lemonade Cookie Bars are sweet, summery and nostalgic. They remind me of the pink lemonade cake my elderly neighbor used to make. She shared her recipe when I was about 10 years old. It was so easy and it was one of the first things I baked on my own. These cookie bars have that same delicious, vibrant flavor, but in the form of a soft, tender cookie and they’re just as easy to make.
Pink Lemonade Cookie Bars
Soft, lemony cookie bars topped with silky, smooth pink lemonade frosting and pink sprinkles
Ingredients
Cookie Bars
- 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
- 2 tablespoons (20g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- Zest of 2 medium-sized lemons
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting
- ¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure cherry extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tiny drop pink gel food coloring I used Americolor deep pink*
- Pink confetti sprinkles
Instructions
Cookie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt until well blended.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest, with an electric mixer medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg until incorporated, then beat in the extracts. On low speed or by hand, beat in the flour mixture just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until the top is set and the edges start to turn light golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
- Once cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper as handles. Frost and add sprinkles. Cut into squares.
Frosting
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together just until smooth and well blended. Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, cherry extract and salt. Beat until smooth. Mix in the food coloring a little at a time, with the tip of a toothpick, until your desired shade of pink is achieved. Gently mix the frosting with a rubber spatula to smooth out any bubbles.
Notes
*To find the pink gel food coloring I used, click here.