Sugar Cookie Bars

Every now and again a particular recipe will start making it's way through the food blogging world. One person will make it and blog about it, and then slowly it will begin appearing across the blogosphere as more people try it and blog about it. The Dorie Greenspan World Peace cookies were one of these recipes a while back, and more recently Snickerdoodle Muffins started making the rounds.

The most recent recipe I have seen making the rounds are these sugar cookie bars. I immediately liked the idea because pretty much everybody loves sugar cookies, and baking them into a bar makes them incredibly quick and easy to make. Rather than rolling dough out and cutting into shapes, you just press it into a sheet pan and bake the whole thing. Quick. Easy. Yummy. Perfect.

Oh, and so sickeningly sweet that you jaw clenches a little and your eyes squint shut when you take the first bite. :) I thought it was a good thing of course, and I'm sure kids love them, but for the grown-ups in the world who like their deserts a little less sweet -- these are probably not the cookies for you.

My only problem with them was that the frosting doesn't really set-up which meant the tops and bottoms of my bars were sticky since I had to cut them up and put them into tupperware to get them into work. Not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind if you want them to look good at the final destination.


Ingredients:
1 cup butter; room temperature
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, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet 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; room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cookie.