Mouth-watering Wednesday--sugar cookie bars

Have you heard about sugar cookie bars?  I have seen them several places, and I have made them lots of times.  I personally got the recipe from my dear friend Patty (thanks Patty!).  They are wonderful!  I love sugar cookies, but rolling them out is a pain.  No rolling out here, just put all the dough in a pan and bake, then when cooled just frost the whole pan.  They freeze really well also (if there are any leftovers :).  Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 cups flour

1/2 tes baking soda

4 large eggs

2 tes vanilla

1 tes salt

Cream together butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and mix well after each is added.  Add in vanilla and stir.  Add in all dry ingredients until mixed well.  Spread in greased 13x18x1 pan (or a jelly roll pan) and bake 375 for 10-15 minutes or until light brown and toothpick comes out clean--do not over bake.

Cool completely and frost.

This is my favorite butter cream frosting.  It is supposedly from the New York Magnolia Bakery, but who knows?  I just know it is good.  The secret is to beat it for a long time after each addition.

Best Butter Cream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (but I use salted because I rarely have unsalted)

8 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tes vanilla

Beat butter and then add 4 cups sugar and mix well.  Add milk and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.  Add in 1 cup of sugar at a time beating well after each until desired consistency is reached. 

**This makes a lot of frosting, so make an extra cake or two, or you can just half it.

Yum!  Enjoy!