Sugar cookies, when made right, are amazing and beautiful and colorful, but they take foreverrrrr to make. Especially if you are making a big batch and you want to decorate each one individually.
These, at least, were my thoughts Thursday night at 10 when I realized that I hadn’t made the cookies that I promised for my brother’s Valentine’s Day party at school the next day.
I had to quickly think of something else I could make that was equally as amazing, beautiful, colorful (and delicious) as my regular sugar cookie recipe, so I jumped on making sugar cookie bars. 
These bars are just the right amount of soft and sweet. They are loaded with colorful sprinkles, white chocolate chips, and topped with purply-pink icing (or whatever other color you want to make them!).
The mixture of almond and vanilla extracts give the cookies a perfect flavor, and the ease of this recipe will make you wonder how making individual sugar cookies could have ever been a good idea!
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 6 tbsp sprinkles (3/8 cups)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ tsp gelatin
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- food coloring
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan.
- 2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whip butter until creamy. Add the sugar and continue to whip until light and fluffy. Add the egg and extracts and whip once more.
- 3. In a separate bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, salt, chocolate, and sprinkles. Mix this into the butter mixture, one cup at a time.
- 4. Press the dough into prepared baking pan. Bake for about 16 minutes, or just until cookie bars barely start to turn golden (over cooking will lead to crunchy, hard cookie bars).
- 5. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. In a small glass cup, mix together the whipping cream and gelatin. Let sit for about five minutes. Mix again, then place in the microwave until warm. Check on the cream every couple of seconds, stirring each time. Cream is ready when the gelatin appears fully dissolved.
- 6. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whip butter. Add the cream/gelatin mixture. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the extracts and desired food coloring. Mix in the sugar, one cup at a time. Spread frosting over cooled cookie bars. Add sprinkles on top.
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