Sugar Cookies Bars with Butter Cream Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

For the sugar cookie bars: ½ cup unsalted butter, softened ½ cup granulated sugar 1 egg ¼ tsp vanilla extract ¼ tsp almond extract 1½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt For the vanilla buttercream frosting: ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup confectioners' sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1-2 tbsp milk 1-2 drops pink food coloring (optional) 1-2 tbsp sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

To make the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 375 F or 180 C and line an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan with parchment paper (or grease with butter).
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and extracts and continue to mix until combined.
In a small bowl, stir together the baking powder, soda, salt and flour.
Add the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture and whisk until incorporated. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon once the dough becomes too tough to mix by hand.
Spread the dough evenly onto the prepared pan, it will be quite thick.
Bake until the top is golden brown, about 8-10 minutes and cool completely before cutting.
To make the frosting:
Beat the butter slightly to loosen.
Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar, alternating with the milk and beating vigorously until you get a thick, smooth texture. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk if it is too thick or more sugar if it is too thin.
Add the food coloring if using.
Putting it together:
Take the cookie slab out of the pan using the parchment paper as handles.
Spread the frosting evenly on top and evenly distribute the sprinkles, if using.
Cut into 16-20 small pieces.