Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

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* Frosting recipe has been revised - see below

Last week I was browsing some of my favorite sites again for Christmas cookie idea and came upon this recipe for those famous Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars on Cookies & Cups blog.  These are like those ones they have in the store that are so super soft they fall apart in your hand and lets face it, they don't really stay in your hand all that long.  These were just as yummy, and the frosting will knock your socks off.  I love that they are a bar recipe but could still be made into a cookie if you wanted to.  Thank you to Shelly at Cookies & Cups for posting this and sharing the recipe with everyone.  I hope you'll give them a try and let me know how you like them.


Here's what you need:

1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a jelly roll pan (15 x 10 x 1) with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer or medium bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar together until well blended.  Add in egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
 
Add dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix until just combined.  Dough will be very soft.  Place dough on parchment lined pan and place another piece of parchment over the dough.
  
I found it easiest to smooth outward with my hands to get the dough into a flat smooth layer.
 
Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting.


Vanilla Buttercream frosting:

3/4 cups room temperature butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening ( I use Crisco butter flavor sticks)
4 cups (1- 1 pound box) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 - 3 Tbl. milk

Cream butter and shortening together in a stand mixer on medium for 3 minutes.  Slowly add sugar.  Once all the sugar is in the bowl crank the speed to med-hi and mix for 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add milk slowly to get the right consistency.  Add food coloring (I used a green Wilton gel).
 
Spread evenly over the cooled bar cookie and decorate as you want.  I used Christmas colored Jimmys.
 
Cut into squares and serve!  

This recipe for the frosting make a ton.  You can probably cut it in half for this bar recipe, or you can use it to frost cookies too.

If you are using the buttercream "white" don't add the vanilla unless you use a clear one or it will slightly color the frosting.  And it's just as tasty without the vanilla.

Serves - a whole lot

Enjoy!
~Hugs~
Michelle

Here's the handy printable - Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars
Here's the handy printable - Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Recipes from:  Shelly at Cookies and Cups



*I halved the frosting recipe because it made so much.


1 comment:

  1. oh yum! I love loft house cookies & I like the idea of them in bar form

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