With Sprinkles on Top

Sugar cookies are great. But you know what’s not-so-great? Having to roll out the dough… cut out shapes… bake the cookies… roll out the remaining dough… cut out more shapes… bake more cookies… repeat… repeat. Sometimes you just want something that’s a little bit easier and a little less time-intensive.

These sugar cookie bars are your answer. It’s one giant sugar cookie that’s covered in buttercream icing and cut into squares. Easy!

PS: I made something *very* similar last Christmas! But those bars featured almond extract.

Yield: 36-42 bars

Sugar Cookie Bars

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One of my favorite treats! An easier way to make a whole batch of frosted sugar cookies!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the sugar cookie base:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 5 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons of milk
• Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Make the sugar cookie base:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

4. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

5. Press into a greased 13 x 18 inch pan and bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes.

6. Cool and frost.

Make the frosting:

1. In a mixing bowl, beat the shortening and butter until creamy.

2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar.

3. Gradually add the 5 tablespoons of milk until you reach your desired constancy.

4. Spread frosting and cover with sprinkles immediately. If you wait, the frosting will “set” and the sprinkles will bounce off and won’t stick!

5. Chill and cut into squares.

Notes

Your yield will depend on how big or small you cut your bars.

I’m always slightly skeptical of “garbage” cookies – the oddly-named cookie that includes everything under the sun. There are a million different variations of the garbage cookie and you can throw just about anything into the mix – chocolate, nuts, candies, crushed Oreos, butterscotch chips, etc. Anything goes.

I was intrigued by this recipe because it included two things: salt and vinegar potato chips and rainbow sprinkles. What’s not to like? I know that salt & vinegar chips are a polarizing food – you either love them or really hate them. If you are in the “really hate them” camp, don’t worry. The chips just add a little salt – it isn’t the dominate flavor, so rest easy!

These cookies were actually really great. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside – with an interesting combination of flavors.

Confetti Compost Cookies
Recipe source: howsweeteats.com
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1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crushed salt and vinegar potato chips
3/4 cup chocolate chunks
1/2 cup crushed salted pretzels
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup chopped heath bar
1/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup assorted sprinkles
1/2 tablespoon coffee grounds (I didn’t have any, so I left this ingredient out)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt, then set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the cooled butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed and smooth.
4. Gradually add in dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold in all of your add-in’s here, using a spoon and your hands (if need be) to bring it together.
5. Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the middles are just set. Don’t over bake. Cool on wire racks.

Buncha Crunch is my favorite snack at the movies (and apparently it was a snack exclusive to movie theaters until going into retail this past May!). Mini Crunch bars are also one of my favorite Halloween candies. There isn’t a whole lot of trivia and information about this particular candy bar. It was introduced in 1937 and is produced by Nestle. Nestle recently discontinued the original packaging of the bar (wrapping it in aluminum foil, sleeved inside a paper label) and transitioned to a more efficient polyester film packaging. (see… I told you there isn’t much interesting trivia out there!)

Hope you’ve all enjoyed the candy-themed cupcakes!

Crunch Cupcakes
Recipe source: Food Network Magazine Jan/Feb 2010
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For the frosting:
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
3 cups heavy cream
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
7 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup malted milk powder
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1-1/3 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1-3/4 cups half-and-half
1-1/2 cups Rice Krispies

1. Make the frosting: Sprinkle the sugar evenly in a large skillet and add the corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice. Continue to boil, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the caramel is amber. Carefully pour in the heavy cream and add the butter. Simmer, whisking constantly, until the caramel is smooth (about 2 minutes).
2. Combine both chocolates and the salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the hot caramel over the chocolate and let stand until melted (about 5 minutes). Whisk until smooth and shiny, then cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375F and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Sift the malted milk and cocoa powders into another bowl.
4. Beat the sugar and butter in a third bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy (about 7 minutes). Add the malted milk powder mixture and beat until combined. Add the eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the half-and-half in two parts, beginning and ending with flour.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups, filling each about 3/4 of the way. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean – about 15-20 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to racks to cool completely.
6. Beat the chilled frosting with a mixer or whisk until thick (about 2 minutes), but don’t overwhip. Spread on the cupcakes or transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then sprinkle with the cereal.

Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Have any of you ever been to Door County Wisconsin? Anyone? Well if you think of the state of Wisconsin as looking like a hand, Door County is the “thumb.” It’s a wonderful vacation spot – relaxing, slow-paced, full of cherries and all-things Scandinavia. My family has been visiting Door County for the past 30+ years and it’s one of my favorite places in the world.

As is the case with most tourist destinations, Door County has a “theme.” Cherries are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Cherry pie. Cherry pancakes. Cherry margaritas. Cherry cookies. Cherry danish. Chocolate-covered cherries. Gummy cherries. You get the point.

I wanted to make a batch of Door County-inspired cookies. I LOVED these cookies though next time I’d love to try them with real dried cherries instead of cherry chips.

Door County Cherry Cookies
Recipe source: Taste of Home
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1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-2/3 cups white chocolate chunks/chips
1-1/2 cups dried Door County cherries [I used cherry chips because I didn’t have any dried cherries, sadly!]
1 cup cashews or macadamia nuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven 350F.
2. Combine butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Add flour and baking soda gradually to butter mixture.
3. Stir in chocolate, cherries, and nuts.
4. Drop onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden – about 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Can anyone look at a Butterfinger bar and NOT think of Bart Simpson?! More on that in a minute. I LOVE Butterfingers – even though the crunchy filling gets stuck in my teeth. The crunchy filling is a little mysterious. What is it, really? It’s not quite peanut brittle. It’s not quite caramel. Huh. Also, something to note, the bar is not coated in chocolate. It’s coated in something called compound chocolate, which is a less-expensive alternative to real chocolate. Despite the nebulous filling and the fake chocolate, I still love to snack on a Butterfinger bar once in a while!

• Butterfingers are produced by Nestle but were invented by the Curtiss Candy Company in 1923.
• The Curtiss Candy Company held a public contest to choose the name of the candy bar. Butterfinger won.
• Bart Simpson (and other characters from the Simpsons) appeared in advertisements for Butterfinger from 1990-2001. I can still remember Bart yelling, “Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!”
• Butterfinger terminated their advertising contract with the Simpsons in 2001. The producers of the Simpsons expressed their disappointment by making fun of the candy bar in an episode called “Sweets and Sour Marge.” [all trivia taken from Wikipedia]

Butterfinger Cupcakes
Recipe source: Food Network Magazine Jan/Feb 2010
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For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
3-1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the brittle:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butterscotch chips

For the frosting:
1 cup heavy cream
2 10 oz. bags peanut butter chips

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350F and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Put the butter, cocoa powder, and 3/4 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave until the butter melts (about 2 minutes). Whisk to combine, then whisk in the brown sugar.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the warm cocoa mixture. In another bowl, beat the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; stir into the batter until just combined but don’t overmix.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared cups, filling each 3/4 of the way. Bake until the cupcakes are slightly domed and spring back when lightly pressed – about 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Make the brittle: line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook, swirling the pan but not stirring, until it turns amber. Remove from the heat; stir in the peanut butter and butterscotch chips until smooth. Immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, smooth into a thin layer, and let cool. Break the brittle into pieces, place in a resealable bag, and crush with a rolling pin.
5. Make the frosting: bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the peanut butter chips and let stand about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Place the pan over a bowl of ice, stirring occasionally, until the frosting is spreadable (about 10 minutes). Spread on the cupcakes or transfer to a pastry bag with a large round tip and pipe on top; sprinkle with the peanut brittle.

Makes about 24 cupcakes.