Soft And Chewy Sugar Cookie Bars Recipes

SOFT AND CHEWY SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch glass pan with parchment paper or foil, to make it easy to lift the bars out of the pan and slice. (Foil needs to be sprayed with nonstick spray) Or you can grease the pan directly with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter on medium speed until it is soft and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides at least once.
• Add the softened 4 ounces of cream cheese and continue to beat for 1 minute, until well incorporated.
• Add 1 and 1/2 cups sugar and beat well, 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides.
• Add 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 and 3/4 teaspoon almond extract. Beat well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. This is my spatula that I love and use for every baking project.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 and 3/4 cup flour, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Beat until just barely combined, scraping the sides and bottom again. Do not stir too much or you will make your dough tough.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Get your hands a little wet (shake off excess water) and press the dough evenly into the pan. (You can also grease your hands if you prefer.)
• Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Every oven is different, keep an eye on it. The bars are done when there are just a few golden spots on the edges, and the center is no longer shiny. It's very important not to over bake sugar cookie bars, or they will not be soft and chewy. (They will become dry and crumbly.) When a toothpick comes out of the center with no dough on it, they are done. If you are baking in a metal pan, it will bake a couple minutes faster.
• Let the bars cool completely on a wire rack. Do not frost while warm.
• Top the bars with one batch of The Best Buttercream Frosting for Sugar Cookies!
• To slice into clean bars as shown in the photos, slice off about an inch from all four edges, then slice into bars, cleaning your knife before making each cut.

SOFT AND CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla.
• Gradually stir in dry mixture just until blended.
• Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls then roll in colored sugar.
• Refrigerate balls for at least 20 minutes or freeze until ready to bake.
• Place cookies 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
• Bake in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned at the edges.
• Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.

CHEWY SUGAR COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure to leave enough overhang on the sides. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick.
• Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-26 minutes or until very lightly browned on top. You want the cookie bars to be extra soft, so careful not to overbake. Allow the bars to cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature before frosting. The center will slightly sink - that's normal.
• When completely cool, frost with a thick layer of frosting and make sure to top with sprinkles!