sugar cookie bars.

i first found the recipe for sugar cookie bars on a website called kitchen koala. according to dorothy, sugar cookies bars were a huge craze throughout the food blogs back in spring of 2009. she goes on to say that they have recently made a comeback. not that i am that knowledgeable of all things baking but i was definitely surprised that i hadn't seen these before! the original recipe is credited to anissa of anissa's kitchen but if you read her blog, she says her recipe is from a friend.

i think sugar cookies are so good and i found a recipe i love earlier this year but they are still kind of a pain to make. not anymore! if you want the taste of sugar cookies but don't want to deal with making sugar cookies, this is the way to go. it also makes a ton...depending on how you cut them, so they are great if you need to feed a crowd or for something like cookie club =) i was nervous about the frosting since i have never made frosting with shortening. but it ended up really yummy. perfect for the bars which aren't super sweet. by the way, you can thank my lovely boyfriend for the frosting color. i asked him what color he wanted and without hesitation, he responded with green! i should have known.

 



sugar cookie bars + printable version

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

cream butter and sugar until fluffy. add eggs in one at a time, mixing after each egg. mix in vanilla. in another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda & stir with a whisk to combine. add to butter mixture and mix just until combined.

spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan).

bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool completely and frost.

 

frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening (crisco)

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

4 cups powdered sugar

5 Tbsp milk

food coloring (optional)

combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. add vanilla and salt. add powdered sugar in 1 cup increments until combined. add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency.

make sure the cookies are cool before spreading the frosting. also frost before cutting bars. it might help to stick the frosted cookies in the fridge to help set the frosting.