Sugar Cookie Bars

Mmmmm sugar cookie bars.  Full disclosure, I am not a huge sugar cookie person.  I often feel like they exist to be a vehicle for frosting and {gasp!} I am not a huge frosting person either.   If we’re in the cone of trust: I scrape the cream out of Oreos. So how did I change my mind about sugar cookies?  Well it all started with a trip to the library. 

Do you go to the library?  We basically live there. We are fortunate to have a very nice public library a couple minutes down the street from us. When I say nice, I mean the cookbook section is out of this world.  5 and 6 copies of every cookbook you can imagine. It is glorious.

When my daughter goes to the library, she picks out a couple books for herself and then she picks a baking book for mom.  During the two week period, we flip through the cookbook, look very closely at all of the pictures and she decides which things she wants to make.   And when I say “make” I mean, she pulls up a chair to the kitchen counter and helps me measure the ingredients, pour things into the mixing bowls, and  make general supervisory comments “Mommy, not those sprinkles”, etc. She’s my mini Creative Director/Sous Chef.

This particular week she was in love with Sally’s Baking Addiction [Cookbook Title]  {because of the sprinkles} and that’s how we ended up making Sally’s Sugar Cookie Bars.  I’ve been following Sally’s blog since my working in Baltimore days, and it’s  been fun to watch her blog grow! 

Do you have an aspiring baker in your house?  Sugar Cookies Bars are a fantastic recipe for smaller hands.

1. No chill time.  How many three year olds do you know that have patience?  Have you also found a unicorn or won the lottery lately? I love cookies that chill overnight, but my three year old wants her “cookies from the oven” ASAP.
2. Simple ingredients.  While I appreciate recipes that call for exotic ingredients, baking with littles should be about them learning, so if you think you might freak out because your toddler dumped out the entire container {insert anything expensive}  onto the floor, then that’s probably not the recipe.
3. Sprinkles! Seriously sprinkles are hot with the under 4 set.
4. Simple instructions.   After you mix up the cookie dough, you press it into a pan and bake it.  Make some buttercream and decorate with sprinkles.  

The only catch: My tiny dictator creative director wanted them to look EXACTLY like the ones in the book.  Light purple frosting and rainbow sprinkles. I showed her every single color of food coloring in the house, but she stuck to her guns.  Purple (‘But not too much purple mom!’) frosting or bust.

And most importantly, she wanted to be in charge of the sprinkles. I’ve made the sprinkle mistake before — the one where you hand the kid the entire container of sprinkles, turn your back and all of the sprinkles are on a single cookie.  Learn from me people. Give the kid a small container with sprinkles, and save yourself from having to sweep sprinkles off your floor for the rest of your life.

Sugar Cookie Bars adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes

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Description

Easy Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting

• 1 stick of butter (room temperature)
• 1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt
• Food coloring (optional)

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Instructions

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF
2. Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper hanging off the sides, so that you can easily lift the bars out of the pan.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed (hand or stand mixer) until the butter is very creamy. About 2-3 minutes. Then add the in the sugar and beat until completely combined — another minute or two. Mix in the egg and egg yolk, vanilla extract. Stir at a high speed for 1 minute.
5. Dump the flour mixture into the large bowl and stir on low-medium speed for about 1 minute, until combined.
6. Press the dough in the prepared pan, taking care to make sure the dough is evenly spread across the pan.
7. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool in the pan.

Make the frosting!

1. In a medium bowl, whip the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and smooth. Dump in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream and pinch of salt. Stir on low speed to moisten the mixture, then turn the mixer to high and whip the ingredients for another 2 or 3 minutes until smooth. If the frosting seems too firm, add heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If you’re using food coloring, add it now and mix one final time.
2. Remove completely cooled cookie bar from the pan.
3. Decorate the bars! Either pipe the frosting onto the bars or spread a generous layer of frosting and sprinkles. Cut the bars and enjoy!

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