I was assigned to bring a pasta salad and cookies to The Walk for Apraxia this year. I had good intentions of making cute star shaped sugar cookies and frosting them lime green to go along with the theme of the walk. Sometimes I like to be cute like that. This was not one of those times. I had a busy Friday and was feeling more lazy then cute….so I turned my favorite sugar cookie recipes into bars and called it good.
The Sugar Cookie Bars turned out PERFECT. Soft and delicious with just the right cookie to frosting ratio. I also love that the recipe made a 10×15 cookie sheet full. Making them perfect for pot lucks or those times you need to bring a platter of cookies to a church or school function.
These bars are so much easier and faster (not to mentions DELICIOUS) then regular sugar cookies. I may never go back. (Who am I kidding, come Christmas and Valentines Day, my kids would never let me get away with that.)
This recipe is an adaptation of my all time favorite sugar cookies!
- ½ cup shortening (I like butter flavor)
- ½ cup Light Karo Syrup or Honey
- ½ +2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder (yes I said 4)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- Frosting:
- ½ cup softened butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp cream, half and half or canned milk
- 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Grease and flour a 10x15x1 cookie sheet
- Cream together, shortening, karo or honey, sugar
- Add egg and milk until thouroughly blended
- Add baking powder, salt, baking soda and vanilla, mix
- Add flour slowly, mix until combined
- Scoop dough out on to greased and floured cookie sheet. It will be thick and difficult to spread. I have found it best to put a plastic bag on my hand and spray it with cooking spray. Then I use my covered hand to press the dough down until it is evenly spread in the pan.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 7-8 minutes. They will puff up. You do not want to over cook. Remember they will continue cooking slightly in the pan. Mine took 7 minutes in my oven.
- Cool completely and frost with frosting recipe above.
- Enjoy!
Keep it Real!
they look yummy!
Thanks Dina, I hope you like them…they are our favorite!
I just made these tonight. YUMMY!! I love sugar cookies but hate the rolling and cutting and chilling…etc. This is GENIOUS! And they are so soft and yummy. Did I mention they are yummy? Thanks for the recipe! I will be filing this for future cookie cravings.
Yeah! I am so glad you like them. They are my favorite, I just love a good sugar cookie, and these are SOOO much easier then the traditional method. 🙂 It sounds like this baby likes sugar cookies. 🙂
I will definitely be trying these!!! Thanks sister kjar! <3
I wish I was around to make them for you! Love ya!
I dont have sortening on hand can i just use the butter?
I have never tried it without the shortening, it will taste fine, but it may have a slightly different consistency with the butter.
Is the white sugar measurement 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS?
Stephanie,
Yes it is. 🙂
Thank you