Irresistible Pop-Tart Cookie Bars: The Ultimate Strawberry Sugar Cookie Treat
Get ready to delight your taste buds with these incredible Pop-Tart Cookie Bars! Imagine all the chewy, sweet, and vibrantly fruity goodness of your favorite strawberry Pop-Tart, but transformed into a convenient, irresistibly soft, and delicious sugar cookie bar. This recipe offers a fun, easy-to-make twist on a beloved classic breakfast pastry, reimagined as a delightful dessert that promises to be a hit with everyone, from kids to adults. Forget the fuss of individual pastries; these bars deliver maximum flavor and nostalgic charm with minimal effort.
After perfecting my crowd-pleasing cookie dough bars and festive monster cookie bars, I knew another fantastic bar recipe needed to be added to the collection! Inspired by the classic, store-bought strawberry Pop-Tarts, these homemade Pop-Tart cookie bars are an easier, more sophisticated version, delivering all the familiar flavors and satisfying textures without the complex pastry work. They offer a delightful blend of cookie comfort and fruity filling that’s truly irresistible.
Each luscious bar is crafted with a soft and delightfully chewy sugar cookie base, generously filled with a thick layer of sweet strawberry preserves. To finish, they are adorned with a thin, smooth vanilla glaze and a shower of cheerful rainbow sprinkles, perfectly mimicking the iconic frosted Pop-Tart. This particular recipe draws creative inspiration from Butternut Bakery’s Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread, adapting it into a convenient and incredibly delicious bar format that’s perfect for sharing at any gathering or enjoying as a special everyday treat.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Pop-Tart Bars
If you’re searching for a dessert that seamlessly blends beloved nostalgia with ultimate deliciousness and undeniable ease, then these Pop-Tart cookie bars are your answer! Designed to impress and satisfy on all fronts, they are destined to become a cherished addition to your home baking collection. Here’s why they stand out and why you’ll absolutely adore making and eating them:
- Nostalgic Flavor, Elevated Experience: These cookie bars perfectly capture the iconic, sweet, and tangy taste of classic store-bought strawberry Pop-Tarts, but with a richer, more profound, and utterly satisfying homemade sugar cookie texture. Each bite offers a delightful journey down memory lane, enhanced by the soft, buttery cookie and the vibrant, fruity strawberry filling. It’s a taste you know and love, but even better!
- Effortlessly Easy and Fun to Bake: You’ll be thrilled to discover that you only need about 10 simple pantry ingredients to bring these delightful bars to life. The recipe is incredibly straightforward, making it an ideal baking project for both novice bakers and seasoned pros. The process, from mixing the dough to layering the preserves and adding the sprinkles, is genuinely enjoyable. If you appreciate easy-to-make treats, be sure to explore my other fantastic bar recipes, like these indulgent Nutella bars, satisfying peanut butter bars, and rich brown butter blondies.
- Signature Soft and Chewy Texture: Just like our highly-rated Christmas sugar cookie bars, these Pop-Tart bars boast a wonderfully soft, tender, and perfectly chewy consistency that is simply irresistible. This coveted texture is meticulously achieved through precise ingredient ratios and careful baking times, ensuring every bar is moist and tender without being crumbly, dry, or overly dense.
- Endlessly Versatile Flavor Profile: While classic strawberry is the star in this recipe, the inherent beauty of these bars lies in their remarkable adaptability. You can effortlessly swap out the strawberry preserves for almost any jam flavor your heart desires! Imagine the possibilities: luscious grape, sweet blueberry, tangy raspberry, or even a sophisticated apricot preserve. This flexibility allows you to customize the bars to suit different tastes, seasonal ingredients, or holiday themes, making them a truly year-round favorite.
- Ideal for Sharing and Any Occasion: Baked conveniently in a single pan and easily portioned into individual servings, these bars are the ultimate treat for any event. They are perfect for potlucks, birthday parties, school lunchboxes, bake sales, or simply as a comforting dessert to enjoy at home. Their robust nature means they travel exceptionally well, and their universal appeal ensures they are always a crowd-pleaser, disappearing quickly wherever they are served.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
To guarantee that your Pop-Tart Cookie Bars turn out perfectly delicious and structurally sound every time, paying close attention to the quality and proper preparation of your ingredients is paramount. Here’s a more in-depth look at what you’ll need, along with some invaluable tips and potential substitutions:
Strawberry Preserves: While the recipe specifies preserves for their delightful, slightly chunky texture and robust fruit flavor, you can absolutely use strawberry jam if that’s all you have readily available. The primary difference will be a slightly smoother filling, but the taste will remain equally delicious. The key is to choose a good quality preserve that isn’t excessively runny. Feel free to unleash your creativity here; other fruit preserves like raspberry, blueberry, or even a gourmet mixed berry blend can offer exciting new flavor profiles.
Rainbow Sprinkles: These aren’t merely for aesthetic appeal; vibrant confetti sprinkles (those flat, disc-shaped sprinkles) are genuinely essential for achieving that iconic, cheerful, and recognizable Pop-Tart look! They add a playful burst of color and a subtle textural crunch that enhances the overall experience. While any colorful sprinkles will work in a pinch, confetti sprinkles truly capture the authentic Pop-Tart frosting aesthetic. Remember to apply them generously and immediately after spreading the glaze to ensure they adhere perfectly.
Unsalted Butter: This recipe strictly calls for unsalted butter at room temperature. The “room temperature” aspect is incredibly crucial! Butter that is too cold will not cream properly with the sugar, resulting in a denser, less airy cookie bar. Conversely, butter that is too warm or melted will create a greasy dough that is challenging to handle and can lead to a less desirable texture. Using unsalted butter allows you precise control over the overall salt content and flavor balance of your baked goods. If salted butter is your only option, simply omit the additional fine sea salt specified in the recipe.
All-Purpose Flour: For consistently exceptional results, always measure your flour accurately. The most effective method is the “spoon and level” technique: lightly fluff the flour in its container, then spoon it into your measuring cup until it overflows, and finally, level it off with a straight edge (like the back of a knife). Avoid scooping directly from the bag, as this compacts the flour and typically leads to using too much, resulting in dry, dense, and tough bars. For the absolute BEST accuracy, I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale.
Large Eggs: Just like with the butter, it’s imperative that your large eggs are at room temperature. Room temperature eggs emulsify much more effectively with the butter and sugar, creating a smoother, more homogenous batter. This leads to a lighter, more tender, and more uniformly textured final product. If you forget to take them out ahead of time, you can quickly warm them by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
Vanilla Extract: The quality of your vanilla extract significantly impacts the overall flavor profile of both your sugar cookie base and the delicate vanilla glaze. Opt for a good quality pure vanilla extract or even vanilla bean paste for a deeper, more pronounced flavor. This is not an ingredient to compromise on!
You’ll find the complete list of precise ingredient measurements and a fully detailed set of instructions in the convenient recipe card located further down this page!
Recipe Instructions: Crafting Your Pop-Tart Cookie Bars
Before you begin your baking adventure, take a moment for essential prep work: Line a square 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring that you leave a generous overhang on all four sides. This clever “parchment sling” will make it incredibly easy to lift the entire slab of baked bars out of the pan once they’ve cooled. Once your pan is ready, preheat your oven to a precise 375°F (190°C) to ensure it’s at the ideal temperature when your dough is ready.
STEP ONE: Cream the butter and sugar. In the spacious bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a large bowl and a sturdy hand mixer, thoroughly cream together the softened unsalted butter and the granulated sugar. Beat this mixture diligently for a full 3 minutes on medium speed. This extended creaming time is crucial; it incorporates essential air into the mixture, resulting in a light, fluffy, and noticeably pale consistency, which directly contributes to the bars’ wonderfully tender texture.
STEP TWO: Incorporate the wet ingredients. Next, add the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Then, introduce the large eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. After each addition, pause to thoroughly scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. This critical step ensures all ingredients are uniformly combined, preventing any pockets of unmixed butter or sugar and guaranteeing a cohesive batter.
STEP THREE: Gently mix in the dry ingredients. With your mixer on low speed, gradually add the all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, and baking soda to the wet mixture. Mix only until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and the dough begins to clump together. It’s vital not to overmix at this stage, as excessive mixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, undesirable cookie bars.
Once mixed, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 20 minutes. This chilling step is absolutely crucial as it firms up the dough, making it significantly easier to press evenly into the pan without sticking to your hands or becoming too soft and unmanageable.
STEP FOUR: Create the first cookie layer. Take approximately half of your well-chilled cookie dough (aim for about 385 grams if you’re using a kitchen scale, which is highly recommended for accuracy) and press it firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared 8×8 baking pan. Ensure it forms a uniform layer that extends from edge to edge. Once pressed, use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift this entire first layer of dough out of the pan and transfer it to a cutting board or a small baking sheet. Place this layer in the freezer for the time being – this helps it firm up even further, making it much easier to handle when it’s time for assembly.
STEP FIVE: Prepare the second cookie layer. Return the parchment paper to the now-empty baking pan, ensuring that all four sides are still properly covered by the paper. Now, take the remaining half of your cookie dough and press it evenly and firmly into the bottom of the pan, forming your second base layer. This will form the bottom of your baked bar once flipped.
STEP SIX: Spread the jam filling. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, gently and evenly spread the sweet strawberry preserves over the second layer of cookie dough. Try to achieve a consistent layer across the entire surface. While a small border can help prevent excessive jam spillage during baking, a little overflow adds a charming, rustic, homemade touch to the finished bars.
STEP SEVEN: Assemble and Bake! Carefully retrieve the chilled top cookie dough slab from the freezer. Gently peel off the parchment paper that supported it, and then meticulously place this dough layer directly on top of the jam-covered base in your baking pan. Press it down firmly but with a gentle hand to seal the edges and thoroughly secure the jam filling within. Don’t stress if a small amount of jam playfully peeks out from the sides; it simply adds to the rustic and inviting homemade aesthetic!
Now, transfer the assembled pan to your preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the top cookie layer achieves a beautiful, golden-brown hue. The edges should appear lightly set and firm. It’s crucial to avoid overbaking, as this can quickly lead to dry and less chewy bars. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. This patience is a key ingredient, allowing the bars to properly set and ensuring effortless removal later.
STEP EIGHT: Chill and Decorate. Once the baked bars have reached complete room temperature (this might take anywhere from one to two hours, depending on your environment), use the parchment paper overhang to carefully lift the entire slab out of the baking pan. Then, gently place it upside down onto a clean cutting board or work surface. This ingenious technique means the side that was the bottom of your pan is now perfectly flat and smooth on top – an ideal canvas for glazing, just like a true Pop-Tart!
To prepare the delectable vanilla glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, whole milk, and pure vanilla extract in a small bowl until the mixture is completely smooth and free of any lumps. The resulting consistency should be pourable yet thick enough to generously coat the back of a spoon. Adjust the amount of milk in tiny increments as needed to achieve this ideal texture. Spread this rich vanilla glaze evenly over the perfectly smooth top of the cooled cookie bars. Work quickly, as the glaze will begin to set. Immediately after spreading the glaze, generously shower the entire surface with vibrant rainbow sprinkles. The wet glaze will ensure they adhere beautifully. Set the glazed bars aside for the glaze to fully set and harden, which typically takes about 1-2 hours at comfortable room temperature. Once the glaze is firm to the touch, use a sharp, clean knife to cut the large slab into 15 uniform bars. Now, they are truly ready to be savored and enjoyed!
Expert Baking Tips for Perfect Pop-Tart Cookie Bars
Achieving consistently bakery-quality results at home is more accessible than you might think, especially when you arm yourself with these essential expert baking tips. Follow these guidelines to ensure your Pop-Tart Cookie Bars are nothing short of perfection:
- Invest in and Use a Digital Kitchen Scale. This is, without a doubt, the single most important tip for consistent and professional-level baking success. Measuring ingredients by weight (in grams) is infinitely more accurate than using volume measurements (cups), particularly for flour. Even a slight variation in how you scoop flour can significantly alter the moisture balance and the final texture of your baked goods. For convenience, many recipe cards, including the one below, offer a “metric” button near the ingredients list to easily convert measurements.
- Exercise Patience: Allow the Glaze to Fully Set. This step is often where patience is most tested, but it is absolutely critical for that perfect finish! The glaze can take anywhere from 1-2 hours, and potentially even longer if you are baking in a particularly humid environment. It will be incredibly tempting to try and speed up the process by placing the bars in the freezer. However, resist this urge! Freezing can cause the glaze to absorb more moisture as it thaws, leading to a wrinkled, sticky, or unappealing finish. Allow your bars to set naturally at room temperature for the best, smoothest results.
- Get Creative: Experiment with Different Flavored Preserves. While strawberry is a timeless classic, the inherent versatility of these cookie bars means you shouldn’t feel limited! You can easily replace the strawberry preserves with virtually any jam, jelly, or fruit preserve that your heart desires. Imagine the delightful possibilities with flavors like rich grape, sweet blueberry, tangy raspberry, sophisticated apricot, or even a bold cherry preserve. This flexibility allows you to customize the bars for different seasons, personal preferences, or special occasions, ensuring they are always a unique and cherished treat.
- Maintain Hygiene: Work with Clean, Lightly Floured Hands. The cookie dough, while manageable, can be slightly sticky, especially when you are pressing it firmly into the pan to form even layers. To prevent the dough from excessively clinging to your hands and making a mess, simply lightly flour your fingertips or slightly dampen your hands with a small amount of water before handling the dough. This simple trick makes spreading and pressing much more manageable and significantly less messy, ensuring smooth layers.
- Choose Wisely: Use the Correct Baking Pan. For optimal baking results and the desired chewy texture, it is absolutely essential that you MUST use a square metal 8×8 baking pan with crisp, sharp edges, as visually demonstrated in the accompanying photos. Glass or ceramic baking pans distribute and retain heat differently than metal, which can significantly affect the baking time and, more importantly, the final texture of your bars, often leading to a cakier rather than a perfectly chewy result. Similarly, pans with rounded edges might require longer baking times and will alter the neat, uniform shape of your finished bars.
- Be Mindful: Avoid Overmixing the Dough. Once you’ve added your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) to the wet mixture, it’s crucial to mix only until they are just combined and no streaks of dry flour remain. Overmixing the dough excessively activates and develops the gluten in the flour, which will inevitably lead to cookie bars that are tough, dense, and far from the soft, chewy texture you’re aiming to achieve.
- Watch Closely: Don’t Overbake. Keep a vigilant eye on your cookie bars during the final few minutes of their baking time. The key indicators of doneness are when the edges are beautifully golden brown and the center appears set, though it might still be slightly soft to the touch. Remember that the bars will continue to cook subtly from residual heat even after they are removed from the oven. For a wonderfully chewy texture, it’s always better to slightly underbake than to overbake!
Recipe FAQs
I have not personally tested this specific recipe with gluten-free flour, so I cannot guarantee the exact results. Baking with gluten-free flour blends can sometimes require specific adjustments to the liquid content or the addition of extra binders like xanthan gum (which some blends already include). If you do decide to experiment with gluten-free flour, I highly recommend using a high-quality all-purpose gluten-free baking blend that is specifically designed for cookies and cakes. I would be thrilled to hear how it turns out for you!
Absolutely, this is one of the most delightful ways to customize these bars! You can freely use almost any variety of fruit preserves, jam, or jelly that you love. Popular and delicious choices include rich grape, sweet blueberry, tangy raspberry, bright apricot, or even a bold cherry preserve. Just ensure that the consistency of your chosen preserve isn’t excessively thin or watery, as this could potentially make the cookie bars soggy. A thicker fruit spread will yield the best results and keep its place during baking.
Glaze setting can indeed be quite temperamental, especially if you live in a region with high humidity, which can prevent it from firming up properly. If your glaze isn’t setting, it’s most likely too thin. To remedy this, you can try making a new, thicker batch of glaze by whisking in a bit more powdered sugar (add it a tablespoon at a time) until it reaches a consistency that thickly coats the back of a spoon. If your bars are already glazed, you might gently scrape off the runny glaze, allow the bars to sit uncovered for several hours to dry slightly, and then re-glaze with a thicker mixture. Letting the bars set overnight at room temperature in a dry, non-humid spot can also work wonders.
Once the vanilla glaze has completely set and is firm to the touch, store the cut bars in an airtight container at cool room temperature. They will maintain their freshness and delicious texture for approximately 2-3 days. For extended freshness, you can transfer them to the refrigerator, where they will last up to a week. If you plan on stacking the bars, I recommend placing a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper between each layer to prevent any sticking or smudging of the glaze.
Yes, these delicious bars freeze exceptionally well! For best results, I strongly recommend waiting until the icing is completely set and firm. Once firm, cut them into individual bars and transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. Ensure they are well-sealed to prevent any freezer burn. They will stay wonderfully fresh in the freezer for up to one month. To enjoy them later, simply take them out of the freezer and allow them to come to room temperature on your kitchen countertop. Freezing is a fantastic way to prepare a batch ahead of time or to ensure you always have a delightful homemade treat ready whenever a craving suddenly strikes!
Absolutely! These Pop-Tart cookie bars are perfect for making ahead. You have a couple of options: you can prepare the cookie dough up to 2 days in advance and store it, tightly wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to bake, simply let the dough sit out at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes to soften slightly before pressing it into the pan. Alternatively, you can bake the entire batch of bars a full day in advance, allow them to cool completely, apply the glaze, and then store them as directed (at room temperature or refrigerated) for deliciously fresh results on the day you plan to serve them.
More Delicious Recipes to Try
If you thoroughly enjoyed baking and indulging in these delightful Pop-Tart Cookie Bars, you’re sure to discover even more easy and incredibly satisfying dessert recipes right here on my website! I am always eager to hear about your baking successes and experiences: please don’t hesitate to share how your bars turned out in the comments section below. I genuinely love hearing from each of you and seeing your wonderful culinary creations! While you’re there, please consider taking a moment to leave a star rating for the recipe; your feedback is invaluable and helps other aspiring bakers discover this fantastic treat. You can also enthusiastically tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can personally admire your beautifully crafted Pop-Tart Cookie Bars!
Pop-Tart Cookie Bars
Equipment
- square metal 8×8 baking pan
Ingredients
For the Sugar Cookie Dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 ½ cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, *see notes below for measuring*
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup strawberry preserves
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½-2 tbsp whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Rainbow sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Line a square metal 8×8 baking pan* (see notes below) with parchment paper to hang over all sides. Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixing bowl for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until just combined. Scrape down the bowl.2 (106 g) large eggs, 1 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda until the dough starts to come together.2 ½ cups + 2 tbsp (296 g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. (it will make it easier to spread in the pan).
- Press half of the cookie dough into the pan. (348 g)
- Take the first layer out of the pan by lifting out one of the parchment papers and transferring it to a baking sheet. Keep it in the freezer for now.
- Replace the parchment strips, so that all of the sides of the pan are still covered. Then press the rest of the cookie dough evenly into the pan.
- Spread the strawberry preserves over the top.2/3 cup (200 g) strawberry preserves
- Then place the other half of the cookie dough on top of the jam. Peel off the parchment and press it firmly to secure it on top.
- Bake the cookie bars in the oven for 25-28 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Let it cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- Then pull the sides of the parchment to remove it from the pan and flip it upside down so the bottom is now the top.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.1 cup (100 g) powdered sugar, 1 ½-2 tbsp whole milk, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pour over the top of the bars and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles.Rainbow sprinkles
- Let the bars sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature until the icing is set, then cut into 15 bars and enjoy!
Notes
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.