Thanksgiving Sugar Cookie Bars

• Preheat oven to 350°F. If butter hasn't been softened you can place in microwave for 10 seconds to *slightly* soften it.
• In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks) and granulated sugar (1 cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds. While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and almond extract (1 teaspoon).
• Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons), salt (½ teaspoon), and *all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups); adding flour ½ cup at a time on low speed.

  *Be sure to measure your flour properly using the spoon & level method, as adding too much can result in dry bars.
• Mix until all flour disappears, typically 20-30 seconds. You do not need to beat/mix this any longer than it takes to mix in the flour. When pinched between your fingers, dough should be similar to a playdoh consistency and not be very sticky. Refer to photo above in post for how dough should look.
• Spray a light-colored metal 9×13 pan with cooking spray, then line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on each long side so that you will be able to lift the bars out of the pan (photo reference in FAQ section above).
• Drop the dough into 1-tablespoon sized chunks into the prepared pan. Use your hands or a spatula to press down the dough until it covers the pan.

  Tip: If the dough is sticky, you can place another piece of parchment paper on top and continue pressing down. To get clean edges, you can fold down the sides of the parchment paper and press like shown in the FAQ section above.
• Bake bars at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. The trick to soft sugar cookie bars is to take them out right when you see the TINIEST amount of brown around the edges. The center may look underdone and this is okay; the bars will continue to bake in the hot pan when cooling.
• Allow to cool completely before frosting (you can put the pan in the fridge on a cooling rack to speed this up).

To Make Frosting:

• In a large bowl, beat unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks) on medium speed using a hand or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) for 1-2 minutes, until light and creamy.
• Keeping the mixer on medium speed, slowly add in vanilla extract (1 tablespoon), almond extract (1 teaspoon), and powdered sugar (4 cups).

  Once incorporated, turn mixer to high speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and beat for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of milk if frosting seems too thick to spread.

Color Frosting:

• Divide and color the frosting as stated below:

  White: Add ½ cup white frosting to a piping bag with a star tip (Wilton 30 or Ateco 842)

  Brown: Scoop ½ cup frosting into a separate bowl and dye brown (2 drops Wilton brown + 2 drops Wilton yellow). Add to a piping bag with a round tip (Wilton #5 round tip).

  Orange: Color the remaining frosting orange (8 drops Wilton Orange + 6 Drops Wilton Yellow + 1 Drop Wilton Brown).

Decorate:

• Spread orange frosting over cooled bars. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes until the frosting is firm; this will help you cut clean edges.

Cutting & Storage:

• Refer to the tips in the post above on how to cut the perfect trees!
• If not eating same day or within 3-4 hours, place in airtight container to stay fresh. These bars can sit out for a few days due to the sugar in the frosting keeping the milk stable. These bars are also amazing chilled or frozen for 1-2 months (any longer and they tend to dry out).