Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Bars with Vanilla Bean Frosting
Soft vanilla bean sugar cookie bars topped with vanilla bean frosting. Yield: about 20 bars.
🍽️ Makes 20
Ingredients
| 2 3/4 cups (388g) | all-purpose flour (bars) | |
| 1 1/4 tsp | 6.3 ml | baking powder (bars) |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt (bars) |
| 1 cup (226g) | unsalted butter, softened (bars) | |
| 3/4 cup (164g) | granulated sugar (bars) | |
| 2/3 cup (76g) | powdered sugar (bars) | |
| 1 | seeds of small vanilla bean (bars) | |
| 2 | large eggs (bars) | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | vanilla extract (bars) |
| 1/2 cup (113g) | butter (frosting; 1/4 cup salted and 1/4 cup unsalted) | |
| 1 | seeds of small vanilla bean (frosting) | |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | vanilla extract (frosting) |
| 2 1/2 cups (300g) | powdered sugar (frosting) | |
| 2 - 3 Tbsp | 30–45 ml | half and half (frosting) |
Instructions
For the bars:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13" x 9" baking dish, set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whip together butter, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla bean seeds until pale and fluffy. Stir in eggs one at a time then mix in vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture and mix just until combined (fold with a spatula if needed to bring it all together, don't over-mix).
- Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and gently press mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake until bars are set and no longer doughy in center, about 15 - 20 minutes. Cool completely, then frost and cut into squares.
For the frosting: 5. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter with vanilla bean seeds until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp half and half and mix until light and fluffy. If needed add more half and half, 1 teaspoon at a time (up to 3 tsp more), to reach desired consistency.
Recipe revised March 6, 2016. Recipe source: Cooking Classy