Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients :

• BARS:
• 1 C butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tb lemon zest (loosely packed)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• FROSTING:
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 C powdered sugar
•  1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp milk
• 4 drops food coloring
• dash salt
• 2 Tb lemon juice

Directions :

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Into a stand mixer or large mixing bowl place 1 C softened butter, 1 (8 ounce) package softened cream cheese, and 1 1/2 C sugar
3. Cream together for 2 minutes. Add 1 egg and beat for an additional minute.
4. Add the zest of 1 lemon (about 1 loosely packed tablespoons) and 1 tsp lemon juice. Mix to combine.
5. In a separate bowl toss together 2 1/2 C flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.
6. Mix to combine. The batter will be pretty thick and sticky.
7. Spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray (mine is 11×17) and scoop the dough onto it. I like to spray the back side of a wooden spoon with cooking spray and use it to flatten the dough out evenly over the pan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the center is cooked through. You don’t want them to get too dark, that will result in a super dry bar, so watch them carefully.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
10. To make the frosting place 1/2 C softened butter, 4 ounces softened cream cheese, 3 1/2 C powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp milk, 4 drops yellow food coloring, a dash salt and 2 Tb lemon juice into your stand mixer and mix until combined and smooth. Add more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.
11. Top the bars with the frosting and smooth it out.
12. Add some sprinkles if you so choose.