Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sugar Cookie Bars

I don’t know where or when these cookie bars originated. I do know that I started seeing them everywhere over the last year. There are sugar cookies bars on My Baking Addiction, The Repressed Pastry Chef, Completely Delicious, and Love and Olive Oil and many more. The earliest post I’ve found is from Taste Buds. If you know the origin of them, let me know. I have a thing for sugar cookies. They are the best cookie ever, but they are also labor-intensive. The allure of the sugar cookie bar is that the dough is baked in one sheet, it’s frosted all at once, and then the sheet is cut into pieces. This is a very streamlined process for a sugar cookie. When I reached my breaking point and mentioned that I simply had to try baking these myself, my sister demanded that I do so right away and bring them with me when I visited last weekend. My arm was twisted, I pulled the butter from the refrigerator, and got to work.

The recipe for these is always the same. A cup of room temperature butter is creamed with two cups of granulated sugar. Four eggs are added, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Two teaspoons of vanilla are added. Meanwhile, five cups of all-purpose flour are sifted with one teaspoon of salt and one half teaspoon of baking soda. The dry ingredients are slowly added to the butter mixture and are mixed until just combined. The oven should be pre-heated to 375 degrees F. The dough is spread onto a thirteen inch by eighteen inch sheet pan and patted out to the edges evenly. It’s baked for twenty to twenty-five minutes and then allowed to cool. For the frosting, some recipes suggest a mix of butter and shortening, but I used all butter. So, one cup of room temperature butter was mixed with one teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Four cups of confectioners’ sugar are added slowly and mixed until combined. For liquid, you can add five tablespoons of milk, but I used a couple of tablespoons of milk and couple of pomegranate juice. I was hoping for a pale pink hue, but it really didn’t color the frosting much at all. After applying the frosting, I do think sprinkles are absolutely necessary here. Then, cut and serve.

In my case, I cut, packed the bars into an airtight container, shoved that into my carry-on bag, and hoped the bars wouldn’t end up too smooshed after being transported. The frosting did get a little flattened by the time I reached my destination, but they weren't ruined. The texture of the cookies was just right. They weren’t too firm or too crumbly, and the frosting kept them from becoming dry. I still have my favorite sugar cookie of all time that can never be replaced, but these are very, very good cookie bars. I know I’ll be baking these again and again. And, who can resist sprinkles?



33 comments:

  1. Very festive and beautiful! Love the buttery frosting with colourful sprinkles.

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  2. So cute! I'd love to bite in one of those babies...

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Now I know where all those candied sprinkles go to! You know parents will sneak into this stash and the kids will be pissed when they are gone.

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  4. Looks beautiful and I'd love a huge slice of that cake.

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  5. So cute with the colourful sprinkles!

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  6. I don't know where the recipe originated either, but I'm in complete agreement with your decision to add sprinkles. Hmm... Maybe I'll make some today or tomorrow...

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  7. Ok, my kids are going to go absolutely nuts when I make these. Yes, when. My husband will too because sugar cookies are his favorite and I rarely have the patience to make them. Thanks for pointing them out!

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  8. Lisa, this is a fabulous recipe! Such a great idea...cookie bars. And no, I can't resist sprinkles either!

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  9. my daughter loves those candy sprinkles!she will surely love these cookies!

    blowing peachkisses
    The Peach Kitchen
    peach and things

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  10. I think those sprinkles are truly what do it for me. They just bring me back to being five years old...and who doesn't want that?

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  11. Love these sugar bars. They are so cute with the sprinkles!

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  12. This recipe just sound so tasty and I confess to loving all the colorful toppings, I was always a sucker for that. They will get me in trouble though, I think I'd have to kick up the mileage.

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  13. really cute childhood treats :)

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  14. great idea, tossing some pomegranate juice into the frosting--it would've been outstanding if the color had come through!

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  15. You know what? Just looking at these cookies makes me feel happy.

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  16. they're so cute... I've made them too. Good stuff :)

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  17. Yikes, these look good. Your lucky sister. I'm with you on the labor-factor with sugar cookies. They take forever, and I love that these don't.

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  18. Yum, these look amazing. Looks like the perfect dessert to take to a memorial day picnic this coming weekend.

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  19. These look just scrumptious...I love the sprinkles :)

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  20. mmm. sprinkles. these bars are adorable! =D

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  21. They are so pretty with all of those colorful sprinkles.

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  22. Those are some perfect looking cookies. Love them. You have a beautiful blog.

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  23. Yummie, nice cookies, and the color of the sprinkles are awesome :-)

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  24. These remind me a little of those pale pink circus animal cookies I adored as a child. Love the sprinkles on top. Just looking at them makes you feel like a kid again.

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  25. Ooh these bars look delicious!

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  26. What a clever idea! It would save a lot of time with using a cookie cutter too! :D

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  27. These look amazing! I love the colorful sprinkles on top!

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  28. I would love a huge slice of that and my kids would probably go crazy over them. So tempting. thanks Lisa :-)

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  29. Lisa
    My kids used to beg me for these cookies; sugar cookies are favorites with so many people it seems! I just like them because they are so versatile and can be adapted to anything or any other combo; yeah the sprinkles are so cute and cheerful.

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  30. How do you resist eating all of these goodies?!

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  31. I don't know how I never came across these bars till now, but am glad I did today.
    Just the sort of buttery and colourful bars my daughter would relish

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  32. I've been seeing these everywhere too. I bet they just melt in your mouth! Completely irresistible!

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  33. These are so cute! Perfect for a party :)

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