King Cake Bars

By Simply_Greenie

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• For the filling:
• 2 (8-oz blocks cream cheese, softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• For the glaze:
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• Colored sanding sugar or sprinkles (purple green and gold)

Details

Servings 15
Adapted from csmonitor.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour and sugar. Drop in the butter cubes and beat on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and looks a bit like wet sand. Add the milk and beat until it starts to stick together. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press it in to form an even layer, making sure there are no holes or gaps.

For the Filling:

Wipe out the mixer bowl and rinse and dry the paddle. Beat the filling ingredients together until completely smooth. Spread the filling evenly over the prepared crust. Bake the bars for 20 – 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set.

For the Glaze:

While the bars are cooking, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk until completely smooth. As soon as you remove the bars from the oven, spread the glaze in an even layer across the top. Immediately decorate with sanding sugar. Leave the bars to cool completely, then slice.