Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars

I definitely have a Love / Hate relationship with these cookie bars. They are soft and delicious just like Lofthouse Style Sugar cookies. They are super delicious. The hate part is that they are so yummy and so effortless so easy to make that they can be a little dangerous to have around. I have another Sugar Cookie Bar recipe on this blog but this one from Jamie Cooks it up is definitely the BEST. I trust you will enjoy it as much as we do !

 Sugar Cookie Bars  (print here)

Cookies: 1 1/2 C sugar 1 C butter, softened 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1 egg 1/2 t almond extract 1 t vanilla 1/2 t baking soda 1 t baking powder 2 1/2 C flour Frosting: 1/2 C butter softened 4 oz cream cheese, softened 3 1/2 C powdered sugar 3-5 T milk 1 t vanilla food coloring 1. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer beat the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and egg until nice and frothy. About 4 minutes. 2. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat for 1 minute more. 3. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix them around so that all ingredients are well incorporated. 4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for about 2 minutes. 5. Press the dough into a large jelly roll (cookie sheet) pan. 6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 7. Let the pan cool completely. 8. Time to make the frosting! In a medium sized bowl (or your stand mixer) combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat for about 2 minutes. 9. Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring. Mix for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. 10. Frost your pan of cookies. Cut the cookies into bars and serve!

Cookie Carnival Toasted Almond Lemon Bars

This is this month's Cookie carnival recipe. Holly of Phemomenon (http://phemomenon.blogspot.com/) is guest hosting the Carnival for April. These are a great alternative to the traditional Lemon Bars. I was a little sceptical about using almonds in this recipe but it turned out great. ENJOY!!

Toasted Almond Lemon Bars
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

Makes 1 dozen bars (I made 24 smaller bars)

"Everyone loves lemon bars. I make mine extra special by adding toasted almonds to the shortbread crust."

For the Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 Tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

For the Lemon Filling:
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 7 lemons)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

To Toast the Almonds:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden and you can smell them. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Before You Start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 - inch pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Make a parchment "sling" by cutting two pieces of parchment paper, measuring 16 1/2 inches long by 12 inches wide (you can also use aluminum foil). Place one piece across the length, and the other across the width of the pan, with the excess hanging over the edges. You will use this sling later to lift the finished bar from the pan. Spray the sling with the cooking spray.

To Make the Crust:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, almonds, and salt to combine. Add the cold butter in pieces and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.

2. Turn the dough out into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1 1/4 inches up the sides. (This crust, once it is baked, needs to act as a liner in which to pour the liquidy lemon filling. So be sure to do a good job of pressing the dough up the sides - no cracks!). Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights ( you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as pie weights as well). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and the liner and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the whole crust is golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

I baked my crust for 3o minutes without the parchment and pie weights and it turned out great.

To Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the almond extract and flour, and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice, and whisk to combine.

To Complete the Bars:
1. Pour the lemon filling into the prepared crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm and lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

2. When cool use the parchment sling to lift the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice into twelve 3 x 3 1/2 - inch bars. Remove from the pan and, using a small sifter, dust with the confectioners' sugar.

The bars keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Do not unwrap before defrosting. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

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Sugar Cookie "Bars"

Do ever want to make Sugar Cookies, but have limited time? Then this is the recipe for you. The same taste and texture without the time commitment! ENJOY…..

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 cup butter; room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp 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 ( usually takes 18 minutes in my oven) until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter; room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting 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

Pumpkin Bars & Pumpkin Cookies

PUMPKIN BARS

4 eggs
1 - 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup oil
one 15 ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

ICING:
One 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened (I used and recommend butter)
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly comined and the batter is smooth.

3. Spread the batter in an ungreased nonstick 13 by 10 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

4. To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Makes 48 small bars or 24 larger ones.

PUMPKIN COOKIES
1 c. Shortening
1 c. Sugar
1 c. Pumpkin
1 Egg
2 c. Flour
1 tsp. Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Salt
Preheat oven to 375* cream shortening, sugar and pumpkin. Add egg and mix well. Add sifted dry ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes Cool and ice with cream cheese icing(makes 48 cookies)

Dana's Flower Cookies

Flower Cookies for Mother's Day

(So easy the kids can make them)

My friend Dana introduced these super fun cookies to me. It is a great activity to do with kids.

Flower Cookies(Makes 4)
Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1/4 cup soft brown sugar, packed

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

4 bite-sized candy bars (without nuts)

4 wooden craft sticks

Petals and FrostingIngredients:

8 large marshmallows

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

Food coloring

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Make the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, stir the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
3. Add the flour and mix well. Form the dough into a ball in the bowl with your hands. If the dough is sticky, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
4. Unwrap the candy bars and insert a stick into the side of each candy bar.
5. Place a heaped tablespoon of dough in the palm of your hand. Flatten it into a round and place one of the candies on a stick in the center of the dough. Wrap the dough completely around the candy. Repeat with the other candy pops.
6. Place them on a lined (parchment or foil) cookie sheet and slightly flatten each with the palm of your hand.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the edges are golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Wash a pair of scissors and dry them. Snip each marshmallow into 4 slices to form the petals.
9. Make the frosting: Cream the butter with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Gradually add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Add the vanilla and milk and continue beating until light and fluffy. Divide the frosting into 2 small bowls, tint one with yellow food coloring and the other any color.
10. Decorate the cookie: Spread some frosting over the face of each cookie.
11. Carefully press marshmallow slices into the frosting to look like flower petals.
12. Spoon the remaining yellow frosting into a small ziplock bag and close securely. Cut a small corner of the bag with scissors and squeeze some icing into the center of the flower.

Samoa's Girl Scout Cookies

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites) Courtesy of Amanda's Cookin

Cookies

1 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

up to 2 tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is very sticky.Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300.
Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
Note: These cookies are fairly time consuming to make, but if you take your time and have fun with them, the results will be worth it. That said, if you want something a little bit quicker, try baking a batch of Samoas Bars instead, which require no rolling and cutting of the dough!

Breakfast Cookies

These cookies were a big hit. Perfectly Crun-chewy and made with Whole Wheat flour. A great alternative to granola bars.

Breakfast Cookies

(Printable Version)

½ c. shortening

½ C. butter (softened)
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour (white or whole wheat, I used wheat)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 c. "Special K" or other flaky breakfast cereal. 1 c. oatmeal
Raisins, dates, nuts, etc. optional (I used 1 cup coconut)

                                                                                
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In larger mixer bowl, beat shortening,butter, sugars, and eggs and vanilla until light and creamy. Gradually blend in flour mixture. Stir in oatmeal and breakfast cereal, and raisins or dates etc. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets. A great breakfast or snack.

Reese's Cookies

I made these great cookies for a Christmas gift . They turned out great. I used half shortening and half butter.

Reese Cookies

from: Kaitlin in the Kitchen

(Printable Version)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Stick Butter (I used ½ butter and ½ Shortening)

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

6 Large Reese Cups (I used 2 jumbo reese bars)

3/4 Cup Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Chop up Reese cups; set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Fold in the Reese cups and chocolate chips. Drop tablespoon size mounds of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown around the edges.