Recipe: Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

 

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars 

Ingredients:

1 c. butter

1-3/4 c. sugar

4 large eggs

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 t. almond extract (optional)

1 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

5 c. all-purpose flour

 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 convection). If desired, line baker’s half sheet pan with parchment paper; otherwise, grease bottom of half sheet pan with cooking spray.

2. Cream together butter and sugar using beater attachment. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.

3. Add vanilla, almond extract, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.

4. Using paddle attachment, mix in flour 1 cup at a time until all flour is incorporated.

5. Press dough into pan until flat (avoid high spots in the center).

6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just barely golden. Do not overbake--cookie bars should remain soft.

7. Let cool. Frost with 1 batch Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting or Buttery Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting. Cut into 30-48 bars.
   

      

Half-batch recipe for 9x13 pan

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

1 c. less 1 T. sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

1/2 t. almond extract (optional)

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking soda

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Follow instructions above, except shorten baking time 2-5 minutes.

 

Recipe: Soft & Yummy Frosted Sugar Cutout Cookies

Most little bakeries don't give out their recipes. But I do. This is my favorite sugar cookie hands down! It's not overly sweet, but has the perfect amount of sweetness.

 

Sugar Cutout Cookies

1 c. shortening

2-1/4 c. granulated sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. sour cream

6 c. flour

Directions:

1. Using whip attachment, beat shortening and sugar together until well blended. Add in beaten eggs, two at a time. Add salt, vanilla, baking powder, and sour cream.  
2. Using paddle attachment, add flour one cup at a time and mix after each addition. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix until consistent throughout.
3. Scrape dough into smaller metal bowl and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in fridge to chill for 2+ hours. 
4. Roll out 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutter. Place cookies 1" apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
   
5. Bake for 8 minutes at 375 degrees (or 350 degrees convection--I always use convection). They will not brown. Do not overbake. These cookies should remain soft.
   
6. Allow to cool before placing in airtight container.
7. Can be frozen up to 2 weeks. To thaw, place container on counter for 2 hours.

 

Cream Cheese Butter Cream Frosting (Stabilized)

8 oz. cream cheese, cold

1/2 c. butter, room temperature (not melted)

3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 t. butter vanilla emulsion

1/4 t. almond flavoring

2-1/4 t. meringue powder (optional)

Directions

1. In a KitchenAid or using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. (You won't be able to beat the lumps out once you've added the powdered sugar.)

2. Add powdered sugar 1 c. at a time. (To stabilize to the point of crusting, add 1 T. meringue powder per 1 lb powdered sugar, or about 2-1/4 tsp for this recipe.)

3. Mix in flavoring. Add desired gel food coloring.
   

4. Whip until fluffy and smooth, about 6-10 minutes.

5. Spoon into piping bag.

For royal icing, I use this recipe from PreppyKitchen.com, which also includes a helpful YouTube video of the process.

Recipe: Oatmeal Craisin Raisin Breakfast Cookies

If you like the chewy breakfast cookies at Wendy's, you will probably love these even more. My mom, Rose Wride, created this original recipe to copycat the cookies mentioned above, but in the process, she improved it. To learn more about my amazing home-economist, recipe-book author mother, click here.

Oatmeal Craisin Raisin Breakfast Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1-1/4 cups brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon molasses 

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and molasses until light and fluffy. 

3. Stir in all-purpose flour, soda, salt and cinnamon until just moistened. 

4. Add the rolled oats and mix well.

5. Stir in Craisins, raisins and walnut pieces. Dough will be stiff and slightly sticky. 

6. Drop by spoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a baking sheet, and bake 12-14 minutes in a 350-degree oven until golden on the edges. The centers will look slightly shiny and undercooked. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cookies finish cooking on the pan for about five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Makes about 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Cook's Note:  Molasses keeps these cookies soft and chewy. Store covered at room temperature for up to one week. These cookies freeze well and maintain their soft, chewy texture--just pop them into a ziploc, and then set the ziploc on the counter to thaw 30 minutes before you want to eat them. If the cookies look like they will spread too much, stir in a rounded tablespoon of flour before baking.

Better-Than-Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
2-3/4 to 3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
Chocolate chips

Mix butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Add soda, salt and 2 cups flour and mix. Add remaining flour 1/4 c. at a time until desired consistency is reached (dough should be slightly tacky when you touch it, and little or no dough should remain on your finger if you touch it). Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

I like to use milk chocolate chips and Heath toffee bits. So yummy.

Seductive Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. butter-flavored Crisco
1 c. granulated sugar
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. pure vanilla
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
2 t. salt
1 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter, Crisco, both sugars, vanilla and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, soda, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.

Recipe: Vanishing Wheat-Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are probably healthy enough to eat for breakfast--I can't imagine that they have any more sugar than a bowl of kids' sugar cereal. And I fib not when I tell you that I cannot even taste the whole wheat--they literally taste just like regular yummy oatmeal cookies.

Vanishing Wheat-Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. + all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
a few dashes nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 to 1 c. raisins, chocolate chips, etc

Directions:
Blend butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Stir in oats and raisins or chips. Drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until just golden.

Note: Cookies should not be flat. If the cookies turn out flat, mix in more all-purpose flour, 1/4 c. at a time. Also, I substituted 3/4 c. of the rolled oats with 3/4 c. rolled 5-grain cereal for a healthy variation. This recipe is adapted from one my mother received from Julane Wells in Montana (I added whole wheat and nutmeg).

Recipe: Cake Mix Cookies

I got this fabulous recipe from my friend Gillian. They are tasty, for sure!

Cake Mix Cookies
Recipe #1
1 pkg. cake mix (any)
1/4 c water
1 egg
1/2 c oil
1/4 c flour
Add-ins of your choice

Mix ingredients and bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes

Good ones: butter cake mix with toffee bits, chocolate cake mix with toffee bits, carrot cake mix with nuts and frosting, lemon cake mix, confetti cake mix, chocolate cake mix with chocolate chips or peanut butter chips, etc.

Helen Wride's Cookie Recipes

Thanks to my mom, Rose, I am providing scanned versions of my grandmother Helen Taggart Wride's cookie recipe collection for your enjoyment. Just click on this Google Drive folder to view all the PDF documents.

Here are a few samples.