Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

Today, I’m participating in a fun blogger event — the Secret Recipe Club. How does it work? Every blogger is secretly assigned another blog + chooses a recipe from that blog to make. On reveal day (today!), all of our posts go up at the same time, + everyone gets to see who was assigned to their blog, which recipe they chose, + how it turned out. Fun, huh?

This month I was assigned Burnt Apple, a fantastic blog full of delicious family-friendly, budget-friendly recipes. As soon as I saw Traci’s post for Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars, I knew I had to make them. Between my insane love of all things lemony, my obsession with sugar cookie bars, + my weakness for cream cheese frosting, they sounded like a completely perfect dessert. And after making them, I can confirm that they are absolutely AMAZING. The cookie bars are delightfully soft + buttery, while the lemon cream cheese frosting is creamy + sweet, with a fabulous lemony zing. Put together, they are exactly my idea of a perfect lemon dessert. Mmmmm.

Thank you to Traci for introducing me to these truly amazing Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars + to the Secret Recipe Club for connecting me, yet again, with fantastic bloggers + amazing recipes! For all my previous Secret Recipe Club recipes, click here – there are TONS of awesome ones!

Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

makes 16-24 bars, adapted from Burnt Apple + Two Peas And Their Pod

Ingredients

For the cookie bars:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from the lemon you zested!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the lemon cream cheese frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
5 cups powdered sugar
For decorating the bars: extra lemon slices, zest, colored sugar or sprinkles (optional)

Directions

First, make the cookie bars: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper with a 1″ overhang (for easy removal of the bars), spray the parchment with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and and lemon/sugar mixture together until well-combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Evenly spread the dough into the prepared pan with a spatula, smoothing the top. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bars are slightly set in the middle. You don’t want the bars to brown. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely.

While the bars are cooling, make the lemon cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Mix until smooth.

Frost the cooled cookie bars with lemon cream cheese frosting. (Amy’s note: the original recipe said you may have some frosting leftover, but I sure didn’t! I used it all.) Cut into bars + serve, decorating with lemon slices, lemon zest, colored sugar, or sprinkles, if desired.

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