Sugar Cookie Bars.

Everyone has their own personal form of "therapy;" something that we enjoy and helps us to relax. For some this is shopping, see: retail therapy. For others, it is a glass of wine at the end of a long day. For me, it is flour on my counters, sugar crunching under my feet on the floor, and my oven turning our little house into a sauna. Any guesses? Yes, baking of course! Unfortunately, our lives are so busy that I typically only get to bake now when I have an occasion to go to where I am supposed to bring along something edible. This usually means holidays, a party, or our snack day for Sunday School.

This weekend our SS class had a picnic at Moraga park (which is definitely the most awesome park in Merced) and we were supposed to bring a dessert to share. Be still my heart! I decided to make these yummy & simple sugar cookie bars that were a big deal on my favorite baking blogs last summer. I'm a sucker for anything that I can dye a pretty color and I knew there would be kids there so this was a clear choice. I made them that summer when my whole family took our annual trip to Great America and my uncles were fighting over them. So, I thought I'd share the recipe with my friends! They may not be quite as good as the traditional sugar cookie but they're definitely a lot easier to make! Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Bars

Source: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/06/sugar-cookie-bars.html1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda [Note: I didn't have baking soda so I used 1 tsp baking powder]

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and 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, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean (they won't look done so do the toothpick test). Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz block) softened
1 tsp vanilla (I used almond extract for half of the frosting)
¼ tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring

For frosting combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk a little at a time and mix until smooth and spreading consistency. You may not need all the milk! Spread over cooled cookie bars.

By the way, we had an awesome time at the park with our Living Faith family. They played a big game of kickball (they, not I, because physical education sports that I was required to play in middle school are my worst nightmare) and one of my favorite moments was when Matt when up to bat (technically, kick) while holding Scarlett. He got a home run, so he ran the bases with her still in his arms. They all cheered for her and yelled her name and she had the biggest grin on her face! It was darling. She loved it so much she wanted to be out there with Daddy the whole time and thought Mommy was a big old meany for not letting her. Anyway, here are some pics from the day!

This is Jeffry. He is one of our little sweeties at SonShine Christian Preschool.
His mom and dad are also in our class.