Frosted Pink Lemonade Bars
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Frosted Pink Lemonade Bars are thick, moist and chewy with a light, lemony flavor. Topped with a creamy, not-too-sweet frosting, these bars will be the first to go!
I love cookies, but sometimes I don’t want to stand and scoop, cook, wait, scoop, cook, wait for 2 or 3 batches. Plus, that’s a long time to have the oven on when it’s already scorching hot! Truth is that’s why I made these Orange Cookie Cups too.
I decided to make pretty Frosted Pink Lemonade Bars this time. You could also make cookie cups. Do you know another way this could be made? If you did want to make cookies, the frosting would be a great dessert dip with the cookies. You could even buy pre-made sugar or lemon cookies and only make the dip! I’m just making it easier and easier for you.
Wouldn’t these be pretty for a she-she frou-frou baby girl shower?! Or, a little girl Tea Party Birthday party?! I had boys, we don’t do pink. I had to beg and bribe my nine-year-old to wear a pink tie to a recent wedding!
These bars are dense and chewy. They’re sweet, rich and tastes like lemon. Have you had Pink Lemonade before? That’s exactly how these cookies taste.
I couldn’t just stop at a cookie bar. Bars deserve frosting! I chose a frosting that is light and fluffy. It makes a great contrast to the rich cookies. The bonus? You’ll be amazed at how easy the frosting is to make!
For the cookies, I literally put everything in a stand mixer at the same time, then mixed. This dough is thick like a cookie. You’ll have to press it into the 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan (I used a 9×9 inch pan.) with a spatula pushing it into the corners and leveling it as best as you can.
If you line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper first, it’ll be so much easier to clean.
Frosted Pink Lemonade Bars
When done, the center will be set and will turn from glossy to a matte finish. It really has a brownie-like consistency and I find that it can be done but doesn’t appear to be done when tested using the wooden pick method. I’ve overcooked brownies and cookie bars using this method. I do like my brownies and bars on the gooey side so maybe that’s my problem. I find that brownies and bars will continue to cook a minute or two after removed from the oven. They’ll also firm up as they cool. I say all that to say, be careful not to over-cook these.
Also, I’ve never made cookie bars that they didn’t sink in the center. It used to bother me, but then I realized it’s perfect to fill with ooey, gooey frosting!
The Frosting
The best thing about this frosting is you can flavor it any flavor you want depending on what instant pudding you use. I used Royal Hawaiian Dessert Mix from Southern Sisters Gourmet, it’s similar to instant pudding in this recipe. You can find it at my Amazon Store. There really is no substitution for the instant pudding or the Southern Sisters Gourmet mix, if they’re not available in your area, please order one or the other at my Amazon Store.
To make the icing, you’ll need room temperature
Store these bars in the refrigerator.
Frosted Pink Lemonade Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- Yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup pink lemonade mix
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter room temperature
- 2 cup powdered sugar (aka confectioners)
- 2 tablespoon whole milk
- 3 tablespoon Instant Pudding any flavor Lemon would be great with these bars!
Instructions
- Combine all the bar ingredients in a bowl and beat with a mixer till well blended. Spread in a 9x9 inch pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting.
Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, slowly add powdered sugar, milk, and instant pudding. Mix until smooth. Spread on cooled Pink Lemonade Bars.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
I absolutely fell in love with the idea of these bars!! So perfect for summer!
I attempted making them but once it was baked the texture was more fluffy and cake like than it was chewy and brownie like.. any tips on how to fix this? Is it potentially an issue of over mixing my batter?
I have not had this result when making these bars. It could very well be an over mixing issue. I hope you have great results next time!
These look so delicious! Have just seen them on Pinterest can’t wait to give this recipe a try!