Easy Sugar Cookie Bars Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet.
• Combine white sugar, 1 cup butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, and egg in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until well mixed, about 4 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix in flour, baking powder, and baking soda until dough comes together.
• Press dough evenly over the greased baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Beat 1/2 cup butter and 4 ounces cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar. Thin icing with milk and vanilla extract. Split icing between 2 bowls. Mix green food coloring into 1 bowl.
• Spread green icing over cooled cookies. Cut into 48 squares. Pour white icing into a resealable plastic bag. Cut off corner tip. Drizzle white icing over cookies.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line 9-inch square pan with cooking parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat cookie mix, 1/2 cup butter and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed until a soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, the whipping cream and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in food color until well blended. Spread frosting over baked cookie bars. Top with candy sprinkles. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches.
• Make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
• Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not overbake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.) Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
• Make the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture. Add lemon juice and vanilla to taste.
• Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.