Sugar Cookie Bars

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature (i use half butter, half margarine.)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons milk
• food coloring, if desired

Recipe

• 1 bars: in a large bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. mix in vanilla and almond extract.
• 2 in a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt & baking soda. add to wet mixture and mix just until combined.
• 3 spread on a greased, rimmed baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). the dough will be just like cookie dough- heavy & sticky- so it’s best to spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and use them to help mold the dough into the pan.
• 4 bake at 375 degrees for 10 mins - 15 mins, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. (i like to slightly under cook mine. i take them out at 10 minutes exactly. they are not brown at all, but i think that they are better this way.).
• 5 cool completely before frosting.
• 6 frosting: in a large bowl, beat butter, vanilla, almond extract and salt.
• 7 add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until combined.
• 8 add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency.
• 9 add a few drops of color, if desired.
• 10 spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.