Leftover Tip of the Week

Not too many posts ago, I made sugar cookies.  When I roll out my sugar cookie dough, I try to cut out as many cookies as possible, which makes sense, right?  Unfortunately I don't like the idea of re-using all of the little scraps for cookies after they've been man-handled, dredged in extra flour, re-chilled, and re-rolled, even though I'm told that it makes perfectly good cookies.  I won't go into my little OCD's in the kitchen, but I also can't stand to waste food/ingredients that are still quite useable.  Therefore, I squish all my little cookie scraps together, wrap up the dough ball I've created and store it in the fridge.  And so it sits there and it eventually ends up in the back of the fridge which I find one day, hiding, and I look at it sadly as I toss it in the trash.

Until one fine day, I was randomly going through baking blogs and came across, "Sugar Cookie Bars" on Recipe Girl's blog.  They looked extremely yummy with fluffy yellow frosting. I printed off the recipe and decided to make this lovely treat for my son's birthday party.  And then it hit me!  Why make new sugar cookie dough, when I've got a big ball of dough scraps in the fridge?

So if you have the same issue I do, then this post is for you!  Leftover cookie dough scraps have finally found a home!

Sugar Cookie Bars
adapted from Recipe Girl

Cookies:
Whatever sugar cookie dough you have leftover.  Hopefully your recipe works like mine did, otherwise click on Recipe Girl which links you to her recipe if you want to start from scratch.

Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 cups of powdered sugar (sift after measuring)
5 Tbsp. milk
food coloring, if desired

1.  Spread dough on a greased, rimmed baking sheet.
2.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.
3.  Prepare frosting:  In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening together until smooth and creamy.  Mix in vanilla and salt.  Add powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) until combined, then add milk and mix until smooth and spreading consistency.  Add a few drops of color, if desired.  Spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.

Okay, a few things.  I found my smallest baking sheet because I was working with scraps, not a full batch of dough.  I worked it down into my desired thickness.  Now my dough still didn't cover the whole baking sheet, so I improvised and rolled some foil against the dough line.  Worked great.  A little ghetto looking, but it worked.  Recipe girl recommends you refrigerate the bars until firm to get nice clean cuts.

These were delicious, and fun looking with sprinkles.  And that frosting....oh my goodness it is good.  My husband asked, "Why pink?" but there is just something about that color that makes them more appealing to me.  Maybe it reminds me of childhood.  But I want to put it on all my cookies.  I'll control myself.