Frosted Strawberry Cake Mix Cookie Bars — Soft, chewy, and bursting with strawberry flavor!! The frosting and sprinkles make these easy, goof-proof bars taste even better! Perfect for parties and holidays!!
Strawberry Cookie Bars … From Cake Mix!
My daughter loves strawberry desserts and these strawberry cookie bars bars were an instant hit with her.
And anything with cream cheese frosting is automatically a head above the rest in my book.
The bars are incredibly easy to make because I used strawberry cake mix. Sometimes you need shortcuts and the cake mix gives the bars exactly the consistency I want. Soft, chewy, and ironically not cakey.
The sweet strawberry flavor pairs perfectly with the tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting. I love that the frosting layer is nearly as thick as the bars.
The bars are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, bridal and baby showers, and put me in the mood for spring and summer.
Ingredients in Strawberry Cake Mix Cookie Bars
If you’re looking for desserts ideas for strawberry cake mix, you have to make these cookie bars! For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Strawberry cake mix
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Cream cheese
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Strawberry Cake Mix Cookie Bars
To make strawberry cookie bars from a cake mix, follow these basic instructions:
- To a large bowl, add the cake mix, butter, egg, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Dough will be thick.
- Turn dough out onto a foil-lined 9×13-inch pan. Press lightly with a spatula to create an even, flat layer.
- Bake until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Make sure bars are completely cooled before frosting them or the frosting will melt!
What Box Cake Mix Should I Use?
Any boxed strawberry cake mix will work! I used Duncan Hines, but use your favorite brand.
Can I Use Gluten-Free Cake Mix?
Of course! Use your favorite brand.
Tips for Making Cookies Bars with Strawberry Cake Mix
You don’t mix up the cake mix as if you were making a cake. Instead, simply add one stick of butter and an egg before pressing the dough into a pan. It’ll be thick and dense, but the softer the butter is the easier the dough comes together.
If you don’t have the time or desire to make homemade frosting, go ahead and buy a tub of store-bought frosting. No judgement here!
Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. I’m comfortable storing items with cream cheese frosting at room temperature, but if you’re not, store in the fridge noting bars will be more prone to drying out in the fridge.
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Frosted Strawberry Cake Mix Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- one 15.25-ounce box strawberry cake mix (try Betty Crocker or Pillsbury, Duncan Hines
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very well softened
- 1 large egg
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (lite okay)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted if it’s particularly lumpy
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles, optional and to taste
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large bowl (or to the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment), add the cake mix, butter, egg, and stir together by hand or beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until all ingredients are combined. (Do not use the ingredients listed on the box or follow those directions because you are not making cake; use the ingredients and directions listed in my recipe.) Dough will be thick.
- Turn dough out into prepared pan using your fingertips or a spatula to help press it into corners. Press lightly with a spatula to create an even, flat layer. It’ll be on the thiner side.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no batter.
- Allow bars to cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Make sure bars are completely cooled before frosting them or the frosting will melt.
Frosting
- To the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment) add the cream cheese, butter, and beat with an electric mixer on high-speedy until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and beat until smooth and incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Turn frosting out over bars and spread into a smooth, flat layer using a spatula or knife.
- Optionally add sprinkles, to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Strawberry Poke Cake — This strawberry Jello cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It’s a moist, refreshing dessert you’ll definitely want seconds of!
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars with Crumble Topping — These buttery bars are bursting with fresh strawberries!! Just 10 minutes of prep, so EASY because the crust and crumble are one and the same, and a crowd FAVORITE every time!!
so yay! my kids will love this..
This piece of Heaven is healthy? Wow, great!
Soft and chewy bars are what I always go for. These are absolutely adorable! And I never say no to cream cheese frosting.
Yum, another recipe my daughter would love. These would be perfect for V-days!!
The cream cheese frosting ratio is on point. Love them, and they make me want spring/ summer too! Although we’re already back up to 90F on tues here in the OC!
I know it’s crazy how the weather is just swinging like wild! But I’ll take warm over cold any day!
These bars not only look soft and delicious, but very pretty too!
These are SO pretty… and I completely LOVE how easy they are to whip up!!
Shortcuts are key sometimes :)
Sprinkles!! :) I love how these look Averie! So pretty!
These look absolutely amazing!! As a college student/blogger, I don’t necessarily have the most time to go experimenting around in the kitchen, and this recipe seems easy enough to make without sacrificing flavor or cuteness! *squeals with delight* I will be sure to try making these as a Valentine’s Day gift for someone special! <3
These are so pretty!! I love all the pink and fun colors, obviously. And I have a strawberry cookie next week too, haha OF COURSE. But it’s different enough. :)
Of course, that’s ALWAYS the way it works. I think half the baking blogs are or will be shortly posting strawberry cookie recipes for spring, Mother’s Day, Vday, etc!
I’m transitioning to buying clothes in adult size small for my son. It was more fun shopping when he was in love with dinosaurs.
You know I love a good cookie bar recipe! This would be fun for a school birthday treat, which my daughter is still young enough to need (not for long, though).
That’s great that your daughter can bring treats in. My daughter cannot even bring in ANYTHING that’s food. They can bring in stickers. Or erasers. To distribute on their birthdays…fun. Not.
50/50 cake/frosting ratio = WINNING the cake game!!
I love your bar recipes. Now, if I didn’t live alone….because if I made a full recipe of these, they would go down in a day. Easy.
The 50/50 ratio totally is winning the game!
I love the pretty pink color. My wife will love this. Thanks for the recipe.
These look so easy! I also love that thick layer of cream cheese frosting and anything with sprinkles brings out the kid in me. It’s definitely hard to believe how the time flies….I remember reading about Skylar when she was a toddler!
I know, it’s crazy! She just turned 9 and seems so old and big! Time really does go by so fast!
It might be cliche, but they grow crazy fast. My oldest is going to be taller than I am before I can blink. And his little sisters are shooting up, too!
All three of mine would go wild for these! They look incredible and so super kid friendly!
You know that the days can sometimes be long but the years are so fast with kids. It’s like…whoa, all of a sudden they’re nearly as tall as you are! And yes these are super kid-friendly!
I cannot believe how EASY this recipe is. And I love the colors. Very nice. I can just imagine the joy of your daughter having tried this. Have a great weekend.
Have a great weekend as well and she loved these!