Sugar Cookie Bars

By Addie

Sugar cookies…if you are like me, you love the taste and texture of them, but are not so keen on the prep work involved. I have always been a huge fan of sugar cookies and certainly make them for special occasions, but sometimes I wish I could whip up a chewy, thick cookie and not have to spend half the afternoon preparing them!

I came across a recipe for sugar cookie bars and was intrigued, needless to say, I made these the very next day and became smitten with them immediately! I was a little disappointed that I had never thought of this idea, but happy I finally stumbled upon the culinary genius that did! This recipe was mixed and in the pan within minutes and baked up in no time. You can totally just slather on the frosting and cut them into bars, but I chose to cut them on a diagonal and frost them individually. Whichever method you choose, they are sure to be an easy, delectable, crowd pleasing treat!

Ingredients

• Cookies:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ..............................
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons of milk
• Sprinkles (optional)

Details

Adapted from crunchyrock.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Cookies:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

4. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

5. Press into a greased 13 x 18 inch pan and bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes.

6. Cool and frost (see directions below).
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For the Frosting:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the shortening and butter until creamy.

2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar.

3. Gradually add the 5 tablespoons of milk until you reach your desired constancy.

4. For the sprinkles, I found that they rolled all over the place.  To help this, place a sheet of plastic wrap over the frosted sugar cookies and gently press the sprinkles into the frosting.

5. Chill and cut.