Sugar Cookie Bars

Do you love Sugar Cookies but hate the work of mixing the dough, letting it chill, rolling it out, cutting it out, rolling it out, cutting it out, repeat? And then after all that, you have to frost them? I love a good sugar cookie but they are so time consuming! You have to have a whole day dedicated to making a batch.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and all my hours spent on that website have finally been worth it. These are wonderful, easy, and everyone loves them!! I made them for work and they were gone in seconds. Here is the easy recipe:

Sugar Cookies:

1 C. Butter, Softened
2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
2 t. Vanilla or Almond Extract (I used Almond)
5 C. Flour
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer or kitchen aid until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla or almond extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter/sugar mixture and stir until combined. Spread dough onto a greased 13x18 baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until light golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For soft cookies, do not overbake. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 C. Butter, Room Temperature
4 oz. Cream Cheese, Softened
1 t. Vanilla or Almond Extract (I Used Almond)
4 C. Powdered Sugar
5 T. Milk
1/4 t. Salt

To make frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in vanilla or almond extract and salt. Add powdered sugar in a 1-2 cup increments, until combined, then add milk on Tablespoon at a time until frosting is desired spreading consistency. You may not use all the milk. Spread frosting over the cooled cookie bars and cut into squares.

Banana Spice Cookies

I needed a new recipe to use for my ripe bananas. I found this one on allrecipes.com. It said to use a frosting that was a buttercream frosting, but I thought it would be better with brown butter frosting. They called for walnuts, but I'm not a big fan and didn't have any anyways, so I omitted them. I also added some nutmeg as well. They aren't the real cookie texture, more like a pumpkin cookie. Quinn said they were squishy.

Banana Spice Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add one cup of the flour, the sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, soda, and cloves. Beat until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the remaining flour. Beat in bananas and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Can also check if they are done by touching the middle of a cookie, and if it bounces back, it's done. Cool cookies on a rack, then frost.

Brown Butter Frosting

1/4 cup Butter
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Tbls Milk

Melt butter and cook until a gold brown. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a good consistency.

Very Chocolate Cookies

I came across this recipe the other day as I was looking at recipes on my AllRecipes Dinner Spinner app. Apparently I was having a sugar craving as all I was looking at was desserts! :) Tonight I was making some dough up to make Valentine sugar cookies which had to chill in the fridge for an hour. I guess I had a bee in my bonnet and decided to make these as I was waiting. I think they are rather delicious, but Malcolm my non-chocolate lover, thought they were too chocolaty. I've never heard of anything having too much chocolate! So chocoholics, enjoy!

Very Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Do not overbake. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*My first batch came out with VERY flat cookies. I ended up adding maybe another 1/2 cup of flour and then they were beautiful and round after that. I think maybe it has something to do with where I live, as I ended up having to add a little bit more flour to my sugar cookies as well, as they were coming out the same as usual. So if they come out flat, add a little bit of flour! Mine cooked for exactly 10 mins. It's hard to tell when chocolate cookies are done.