Sugar Cookie Bars {and Gingham Picnic Tablecloth Instructions}
Yield: 1 jellyroll pan
A sugar cookie bar decorated like a picnic table
Ingredients
- For the sugar cookie bars:
- 1 Cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 Cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 Cups four
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Animal crackers nilla wafers, or any other cookie crumbles (optional)
- black licorice
- For the Frosting:
- 1/2 Cup butter room temperature
- 1/2 Cup shortening
- 4 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 4 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Red spray food coloring
Instructions
- For the sugar cookie bars:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add this to the wet mixture slowly until just combined.
- Using your hands press the dough down into a greased jelly roll pan (10x15). You can use a 9x13 of course but you will need to increase the baking time.
- Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- For the Frosting:
- In a mixing bowl beat butter and shortening until combined. Slowly add extracts and powdered sugar. Add milk/cream as the frosting thickens. Use as much milk/cream as you want until you reach your desired consistency.
- Spread over cookie bars.
- Assembling the tablecloth:
- Lay down a large trash bag and place your frosted cookies on top. (I did this outside...it was windy.)
- Using masking tape or long 1/2 inch strips of paper make a diagonal pattern across the frosted cookie bars.
- Spray the cookies with red food coloring.
- Adjust the paper strips to go the opposite way across the pan and spray again.
- Place black licorice pieces along the pan to look like ant trails.
- Sprinkle with cookie crumbs.