Root Beer Float Bars

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Root Beer Float Bars are chewy, sweet, and fragrant with spices. The same spices that make an icy root beer float so refreshing, make these bars warm and welcoming. Sassafras, winter green, cinnamon, and allspice are a magical combination.

Thick, squares of Root Beer Bars dusted with powdered sugar on a serving platter.

Why you'll love this recipe

These soft, chewy bars are full of the flavors that make root beer soda so refreshing.
Spreading batter into one pan for baking, is much faster than portioning out individual cookies.
Especially important for long distance shipping (such as military care packages), uncut pans of bar cookies retain their moist, chewy texture longer and are sturdier than individual cookies.
An uncut pan of cookie bars is fast and easy to wrap or vacuum seal.

Root beer spices and creamy vanilla ice cream make root beer floats a flavorful treat. These chewy bars have that same root beer flavor and and a touch of vanilla ice cream flavor from white chocolate chips.

This delicious Root Beer Float Bars recipe is adapted from a cookie recipe and offers several advantages over the original recipe.

Baking the cookie dough pressed into a pan for bars saves time (no scooping dough balls), and the thicker bars are sturdier and stay chewy longer than cookies.

Once you try these tasty bars you're sure to want more convenient bar cookie recipes for great snacks at home or added to care packages. Try Orange Creamsicle Bars or Lemon Lime Bars.

Root beer bars cut into squares and sprinkled with powdered sugar. — *Baking bar cookies is fast, easy, AND delicious!*

Ingredients

Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the ingredients to form the dough.
Press the dough into a parchment lined baking pan.
Bake until golden brown.
Use the parchment to lift the baked dough onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.

Storage

Store Root Beer Bars at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. Wrapping the pan uncut will extend the shelf life for up to 10 days.

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Stack of Root Beer Float Bars leaning on a short glass of milk. — *An ideal after school snack!*

Tips and variations

Just as the various brands of root beer soda have slightly different flavors, each brand of root beer extract/concentrate uses a slightly different blend of spices. Experiment with several brands to see which flavor profile you like the most.
Most chewy cookie recipes can be baked as a bar cookie. To bake bars instead of cookies, mix the ingredients according to directions, then spread into a lined baking pan.
Lining the baking pan with foil or parchment paper, eliminates the need of oiling the pan and makes it easy to lift the uncut square/rectangle out of the pan for cutting.
The size of the pan required will depend on the amount of dough the recipe produces and the bar thickness desired. Often, an 8” x 8” or 9”x 9” square pan will produce a thick bar cookie and a rectangular 9” x 11” baking pan will produce a thin bar cookie.
Baking time for bar cookies is longer than for cookie recipes. Thicker bars take longer to bake than thinner ones. Start checking for doneness at 15 minutes, then recheck as needed at 5 minute intervals.

Cookie bars on a plate with a glass of milk and a bowl of licorice candy. — *A snacking bar full of warming spices!*

Frequently asked questions

What is a root beer float?

A root beer float, also called a "brown cow" or "black cow", is a drink made with vanilla ice cream and root beer soda.

What are the flavors in root beer?

There are many different recipes for root beer containing different combinations of spice flavors added to sassafras flavor. Some commonly used root beer spices include vanilla, wintergreen, licorice root, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon.

Closeup of cut edges of two thick Root Beer Float Bars. — *Sweet, spicy, chewy bars!*

More bar cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars are thick, chewy bars that taste like a peanut butter cup!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are a simplified way to get chocolate chip cookie flavor in an easy to make, soft cookie bar.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Bars are fruity and chewy treats that are perfect for picnics and care packages.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Bars are luscious desserts that are especially welcome when time is short. This shortcut recipe will amaze you!

Simple Sugar Cookie Bars are your favorite basic vanilla sugar cookie in convenient bar form.

Oatmeal Cookie Bars are packed with chocolate chips. There are directions for making your own colored chips for any holiday.

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