Lemon Drop Sugar Cookie Bars Recipes

LEMON DROP SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon extract and mix for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.
• Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press and/or spread the sugar cookie mixture gently into an even layer into the bottom of the pan.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes. Don't overbake!
• For the glaze, whisk all the ingredients together (use less lemon juice for a thicker glaze/more for a thinner glaze). I used my blender to crush the lemon drops, then just added the powdered sugar and lemon juice and pulsed a couple times until combined.
• Pour the glaze over the slightly warm or cooled bars.

LEMON BAR COOKIE CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in dry ingredients until combined.
• Roll into 1" sized balls and place in muffin tin.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Press the insides of the cookies down with the backside of a spoon to make an indent for filling; let cool.
• To make the filling, cream together 6 Tablespoons softened butter with 1 cup sugar.
• Mix in 2 eggs and just the yolks from the other 2 eggs, and beat until well combined.
• Add lemon juice and mix until combined, there will still be some lumps.
• Pour filling mixture into a saucepan over medium heat.
• Whisk constantly for 5 minutes, or until smooth and thickened.
• Remove lemon curd from heat and let cool for 2-3 minutes.
• Carefully spoon a teaspoon of lemon curd into each cookie cup.
• Top cookie cups with lemon zest of one lemon, and place in fridge for 30 minutes, or until lemon curd has set up.
• Remove cookie cups from pan using a butter knife and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, running it up the two long sides of the pan and letting it extend past the rim by about 2 inches.
• Make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until blended, about 1 minute.
• Using a spatula, scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake just until the edges are starting to turn light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle has moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. (Do not overbake! The bars should be quite moist, and almost slightly underbaked in the middle.) Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Let cool completely. When fully cooled, remove the bars from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
• Make the frosting: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, beating on low speed until fully combined, then repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, the vanilla, salt and food coloring, if using, and beat on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides halfway through, about 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed to thin out the mixture. Add lemon juice and vanilla to taste.
• Using a spatula, spread the frosting on top, then decorate with sprinkles, if using. Cut into 20 bars and serve.

LEMON DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, cream and zest. Combine the flour, lemon drops, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. , Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.