Red, White & Blue Cookie Bars

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Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is having a fun, festive day full of food! Now that I’m done with my baking for the day, I’m off to a pool-side barbecue with these patriotic treats in hand. I made these cookie bars last year and they were such a hit that I decided to make them again today! It’s a recipe you can use throughout the year, too, just switch up the decorations and/or frosting.

Ingredients:

Cookie Bars

  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cream Cheese Frosting + Decorations

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tsp. milk
  • blueberries
  • strawberries

How to:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 10″x15″ jelly roll pan. Set aside.
  • Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture. Stir until combined.
  • Press dough into pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool.
  • To make the frosting: beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla until combined. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add milk until it is a good consistency for spreading. Spread over cooled cookies, still in the pan.
  • Cut into squares and decorate with fruit, sprinkles or more frosting! I used strawberries and blueberries for a patriotic look.

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*You might also like my 4th of July brownie bites!