Sugar Cookie Bars

These bars were making the rounds on food blogs a little over a year ago when I discovered there was such a thing as food blogs. It was a highly productive discovery-one that occurred when I was a new mom-to-three with 50 pounds of "baby" weight to lose.  Of which I have only lost half to date, despite the fact that after my other children I had lost all the weight by the time they were 6 months old. Mysterious. No matter-moving right along with these bars: if you love sugar cookies (me), but don't have the patience for the rolling, the baking, and the decorating (also me-I can spend 24 hours on a wedding cake, but I get burned out by the decorating of cookies)-you'll really like these. They're super quick and easy, and make a ton (I cut out pretty big squares to get 20 servings, but you could easily get twice as many).


Sugar Cookie Bars


1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract (optional-but they will taste like they came from the bakery!)
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda


Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until combined. Mix in the almond and vanilla. Add the flour, salt and baking soda, and mix those in.
Drop the dough into the pan by placing large spoonfuls all over the pan. Press and spread the dough with your fingers to edges. 
Bake 10-15 minutes, or until barely golden brown.


Buttercream Frosting (Cream Cheese Frosting would also be great)


3 sticks butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla 
Milk as needed


Cream the butter and powdered sugar on low speed until combined and smooth. Add the almond and vanilla and mix. If needed, add the milk by tablespoons until desired consistency is reached.