Super Soft Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe

I LOVE soft sugar cookies with buttercream frosting, but seriously dislike the time it takes to roll out the dough, cut into cute shapes and continue repeating until there is but a scrap of dough left. Then when you are finished doing all of that, which takes quite a bit of time, there is the frosting and finding enough room and plates to lay out all of those cookies so they can set enough to find a place to store them all. Are you still with me?? Seriously the pain is real! 

I was SO excited when I found the recipe for these sugar cookie bars over at Somewhat Simple. While their recipe is fabulous I decided to give it my own little twist.  By the looks of it, this recipe has been tweaked a few times as it has been passed around through Blogland. That is the great thing about recipes, you can make them your own!

Here is what you need:

Sugar Cookie Bar:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened1 cup sugar1 large egg2 heaping TBS sour cream1/2 tsp vanilla extract1/2 tsp lemon extract 

Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar 
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBS heavy cream

Beat butter, slowly adding powdered sugar then add vanilla. Use as much heavy cream as needed to reach desired frosting consistency. BONUS: Taste as you go, to make sure it's to your liking. 

Cookie Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish or pan, set aside. In a mixing bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a different bowl whip together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, sour cream, vanilla and lemon extracts until blended. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet, until combined and form a dough. Gently press the dough onto the parchment paper in the pan so that it covers the bottom. Bake for 15-20 mins until the edges are lightly golden. Cool completely, then frost,  cut into squares and decorate if you like. Note: If you don't have parchment paper you can simply butter the bottom of your baking dish. I like parchment so I can pull the entire cookie out once baked, making it easier to frost and cut. 

I don't think I will ever do cut out sugar cookies again after making these. So easy and it takes such little time to put them together. PLUS, there are so many ways you can decorate these babies, which makes them perfect for any occasion! Give these a try and let me know what you think. 

DFTBA,

Pamela

New Year's Eve Party Free Printable Check List

Gee I think I had a bit too much fun this month creating free printables for D & P Celebrations, because here is ANOTHER! Are you feeling the love yet??? 

Hop on over to D & P Celebrations and grab your "FREE printable New Year's Eve Party Check List" now! NYE is less then two weeks away, are you throwing a party? IF so then hurry go download that list...you know you wanna!! 

While you are at it, check out my friend Melissa Newell's "Cocktails and Cheer" party feature. A fun night in for the ladies. 

DFTBA,

PS

12 Days of Christmas~ Day 9 {Holiday Card Display}

On the 9th day of our Christmas Crafts blog series I wanted to show you a super easy project that I made all because I was inspired by this really cool card holder frame at Pottery Barn.

I really don't have an extra $200 laying around to purchase a frame like this, so I made my own for around $2. Here is how I did it...

Supplies Needed:

• Large Picture Frame (just the frame, no glass or backing)
• Twine or Ribbon
• Mini Clips

I found this frame at a garage sale this summer for $1 and grabbed it, because I know how expensive frames are new in the store and figured I would be able to use it for something! This frame isn't in the best shape, it was originally painted gold, I think then painted over again in white and distressed. It has a vintage feel and looks a little better in person. While I would love for the frame itself to be a little thicker in size, beggers can't be choosers! A lot of times you can pick up frames at 2nd hand stores for cheap. Don't pay attention to the 1970's paintings on the inside...just look at the frames! You are going to get rid of the inside anyway. 

Now grab some twine or ribbon. I used "Maraschino" bakers twine from The Twinery. I am absolutely in love with all of their twine AND their customer service is fabulous!!
The "Mini Library Clips" are from Stampin' UP! These are just the right size and strong enough to hang on to your card and twine.  I have a great Stampin' Up demonstrator if you don't have your own.


On the back of my frame their were those little metal tabs that you can bend to keep the photo and glass in place. I wrapped my twine around these tabs and bent them back on to the frame instead of down and flat. This held onto the twine very securely, but you can always add glue if needed. If your frame doesn't have these tabs, you can staple your twine or ribbon down or use flat thumb tacks.

 Here you can see that I just went back and forth wrapping my twine around each tab to create a uniform "web".

When you are finished add your holiday cards with the mini clips.

Again super easy and this project can be really inexpensive! If you receive lots of holiday cards, then make several of these frames and hang them along one wall. What a beautiful display this would make!

Happy Holidays!!
Hugs,
Pam