Tag: sugar cookie bars

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

I recently found a recipe for sugar cookie bars at Crazy for Crust and thought…what if they were lemon? And a few hours later, they were! Lemon is a great summer flavor, but I’d bake these at any time of the year, and can see this recipe being adapted into many different flavors, like an almond version and a creamsicle version. One thing I really liked about this recipe was that it didn’t rise too high and create big shelf-type edges, like previous sugar cookie bars have done for me – bakers, you know what I mean. These stayed nice and even from center to edge.

I chose to frost these bars with a sturdier icing than buttercream or just a glaze, using my grandma Zella’s icing, which involves an odd but effective combination of shortening, egg white, powdered sugar, and various flavorings. The icing kind of sets, so you get a nice bit of tension when you bite into it. These treats were very highly regarded by my gentleman friend’s family, who I bake for on a nearly weekly basis now.

Ingredients

For the bars

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 medium lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups flour

For the frosting

  • 3 tablespoons shortening
  • dash of salt
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1-2 teaspoons water, if necessary
  • Yellow food coloring

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking tin with foil and coat with baking spray.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat to combine. Mix in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt to combine, then add the flour with the mixer running on low, beating to just combine.

Press dough into the pan and bake for 14-19 minutes; the edges will be just golden, and the center will look a bit underdone. Allow to cool in the pan before frosting.

To make the frosting, combine shortening, salt, egg white, and one cup powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.  Beat on low speed until combined, then increase speed to medium, then high, and beat for one minute.

Add additional cup powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed for one minute.

Add vanilla and lemon extracts.  Beat on high speed for one or two minutes, until very well combined.

Check the frosting’s texture; it should be like very, very soft peanut butter and very easily spreadable.  If necessary, add one to two teaspoons of water to thin the frosting and beat well to combine.

Frost the bars using an offset spatula; allow to set before cutting. Store in airtight containers at room temperature for 1-2 days; makes 24.

Sugar Cookie Bars

What do you do when you want sugar cookies, but you don’t have time for all the rolling and cutting? You bake sugar cookie bars, complete with delicious whipped buttercream frosting.

This recipe comes from Brown Eyed Baker, another Pittsburgh baking blogger, and yields a delicious and very low-maintenance treat. If you think the frosting is going to be too much, trust me, it’s not. It’s a whipped vanilla buttercream, and it complements the bars perfectly. Fear not: this frosting is not that whipped cream frosting you get on grocery store cakes that nobody likes – it’s made with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla, and is whipped for several minutes to a light and fluffy texture while maintaining delicious buttercream flavor. These were a huge hit at our family visit in Maryland this week!

Ingredients

For the bars

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the whipped vanilla buttercream

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Rainbow sprinkles, for decorating

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper (or lightly grease the pan).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add flour mixture until just combined; I used my hands to finish the mixing to ensure there were no pockets of flour.

Press into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is very light golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in the pan completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, use the whisk attachment to whip the butter in your mixer for 5-7 minutes, scraping the bowl a few times, until very smooth. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the powdered sugar, whipping to combine completely. Add the vanilla extract and continue whipping at medium-high speed for another 2-4 minutes, until frosting is very light and fluffy.

To frost: remove bars from pan and carefully peel off parchment, then return bars to the pan. Spread frosting in an even layer, then add sprinkles. Cut into 24 bars and store at room temperature for up to 3 days (bars will also last in the fridge up to 1 week).