Sugar Cookie Bars

Alright, I know I said every Sunday... but the Sunday before last, I secretly flew home to surprise my sister for her baby shower! It was great fun and I had great food while I was there. Unfortunately, on my way back, I picked up a stomach bug. So, this past Sunday, I kept the baking fairly simple until I decided to do homemade strawberry icing and had to get some ingredients at the store. So I didn't finish up until Monday. And instead of posting, I went to sleep. Shame on me, but I was a tired girl.

Anyhoo. Who doesn't love sugar cookies?? They are my favorite, except they harden too quickly. Sadness. BUT the issue has been solved with these tasty Sugar Cookie Bars I found over at Real Mom Kitchen. These stay soft and could actually be quite versatile; my supervisor (and fellow baking buddy and Nigella fan) thinks it would make a great dessert pizza crust.

Earlier, I mentioned that I decided to do a homemade icing, but to clarify, the recipe includes icing. I just wanted strawberry icing, and thus had to find strawberry extract.

This is a VERY sweet dessert. I, with my insane sweet tooth, enjoy it immensely, but some of my coworkers find it a little overwhelming. So, if you're cooking for a more reserved crowd, just watch how much icing you apply.



Sugar Cookie Bars

• 1 cup butter at room temp
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 5 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (a few minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until everything is fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. It will not be a cohesive dough, so don't worry if it's clumpy.

Spread on a greased (or foil-lined then greased) baking sheet. Since my dough was so clumpy, I used a drinking glass to roll the dough smooth in the pan.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely. Frost.

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter at room temp
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 tsp vanilla (or strawberry or any other flavor) extract
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• food coloring, optional

Beat or whisk butter and shortening together until smooth and creamy. It may take a few minutes. Add flavor extract and salt, mix well. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth. Add milk and beat/whisk until smooth and creamy.

I decorated mine wiith pink and red colored sugar. I tried to be cutesy and make little hearts, but I was tired and failed. I probably could have fixed it, but I wanted to sleep. Shame on me.