Chocolate Chip Orange Oatmeal Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

These chocolate chip orange oatmeal cookies are my favorite chocolate chip cookies, bumped up a few notches with the simple but effect addition of fresh orange zest.

When the Creative Cookie Exchange group first started baking together several years ago, the first theme was “back to school” cookies. I didn’t even hesitate because there was only one cookie recipe that I made over and over and over again when my girls were still living at home.

Originally shared with me by a good friend almost 30 years ago, those Joy of Cooking chocolate chip oatmeal cookies were my go-to for after school snack time, weekends, sleepovers and anytime chewy cookies were needed. (Pretty much always.)

Just a few weeks ago, a reader named Cindy C. left a comment on that post telling me that the Joy of Cooking recipe was her family’s favorite as well. She said it was because they always added the suggested optional orange zest; that’s what made the cookies special. Well. That gave me pause. I had never added the orange zest. I responded that I certainly would next time.

So here we are. Creative Cookie Exchange doyenne Laura from The Spiced Life is hosting today’s event with a theme of “favorite cookies” or for those of us who have already shared our favorite, add a twist. I've added the orange zest.

Chocolate Chip Orange Oatmeal Cookies

A classic from Joy of Cooking, this oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe makes the best chewy cookies around, with an added flavor hit of orange. I'm not sure if they are better than the original but they are certainly delicious. The orange zest and semi-sweet chocolate make a great combination.

Ingredients
1/2 cup (firmly packed) or 100g brown sugar
1/2 cup or 115g caster sugar
1/2 cup or 115g butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup or 125g all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 95g uncooked quick rolled oats
3/4 cup or 125g semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease a cookie sheet or line it with a silicone mat. Cream your butter with the two sugars. Add in the egg, vanilla and milk. Beat till smooth.

Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and beat again until smooth.

Add in the oats, chocolate chips and orange zest. Beat until well mixed.

Drop spoonfuls 2 inches apart on well-greased cookie sheet. I like to use my 2-tablespoon cookie scoop so every cookie is even.

The little flecks of orange aren't as obvious in the baked cookies. 

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until light brown. For chewy cookies, do not over bake!

Leave to cool for a few minutes on the baking pan then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. 

This batch will make about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen two-inch cookies though I highly recommend making a double batch of dough and freezing the balance. Find complete instructions for freezing then baking here.

Enjoy!

Check out all the favorite cookies we are sharing today! Many thanks to our host Laura from The Spice Life.

• Game Day Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gosh Darn Good Cookies from What Smells So Good?
• The Chocolate Chip Cookie Collection from The Spiced Life
• Chocolate Chip Orange Oatmeal Cookies from Food Lust People Love

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

Pin these Chocolate Chip Orange Oatmeal Cookies! 

.

Cinnamon Chocolate Shortbread #CreativeCookieExchange

Cinnamon Chocolate Shortbread is the perfect cookie for your holiday table or cookie exchange. The rich buttery shortbread is enhanced by cinnamon and cocoa for a delightful treat that keeps well in a tin for days.

Six years ago, when I first moved to Dubai, I was invited to a cookie exchange. The hostess was a friend of a friend who lived on Palm Jumeirah so I was most excited to go. If you’ve ever looked up Dubai, you have no doubt seen photos of the Palm. In an aerial view, it looks like a great big palm tree, with multiple fronds arcing gracefully out in the Arabian Gulf. Each frond is a gated community of homes so without an invitation, the best one can do is to drive up the “trunk” to the hotel at the top of the palm tree.

The house was beautifully decorated for Christmas and because the weather at this time of year is lovely, we were able to sit outside overlooking the sea. Gorgeous! But the very best part was getting to meet some wonderful ladies and munch on cookies together.

This month my Creative Cookie Exchange group is sharing cookies that last well in a tin, which I translate to mean, would also be perfect for gifting to neighbors and friends or bringing to a cookie exchange. These cinnamon chocolate shortbread cookies fit the bill.

Cinnamon Chocolate Shortbread

This recipe is adapted from two I found on the internet, from the BBC Good Food site and Country Living. I topped mine with amber sugar crystals for a more festive look plus added sweetness and crunch. You can find them on Amazon if your local shops don't carry them. <affiliate link

Ingredients
3/4 cup or 170g butter, softened
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1 2/3 cups or 200g plain flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 oz or 100g good quality dark chocolate, cut into small chunks (I used Lindt.)

Optional for decoration:
2-3 tablespoons amber sugar crystals (26-42g)

Method
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with electric beaters or, if you are feeling energetic, use a wooden spoon.

Sift in the flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt.

Mix well until you have a thick dough. Add in the chocolate bits and mix again.

Roll the dough into log about 2 inches or 5cm thick. Wrap the log in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour or for several days. This dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line two baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone mats.

Slice the log into 1/2 in or 1cm-thick rounds.

Transfer the cookies to your prepared baking pans.

Top with amber sugar crystals, if desired. Press them in gently to stop them falling off and then bake for 10-12 minutes in your preheated oven.

Cool on the pan completely before transferring the shortbread cookies to a serving plate or a cookie tin.

Enjoy!

Check out all of the lovely cookies that last in a tin! Many thanks to Holly of A Baker's House for hosting the group this month.

• Almond Flour Sugar Cookies from A Baker's House
• Carrot Cake Biscotti from What Smells so Good?
• Cinnamon Chocolate Shortbread from Food Lust People Love
• Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oatmeal Lace Cookies from The Spiced Life

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

Pin this Cinnamon Chocolate Shortbread!

 .

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cashew Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

All of my taste testers agree, these fudgy flourless chocolate cashew cookies are GOOD. Better than good. We thought they were fabulous. Crunchy on the outside and wonderfully chewy in the middle. And as long as there are no nut allergies to worry about, your gluten-free friends will love them too.

With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, I chose the theme "quick last minute cookies" for this month’s Creative Cookie Exchange. I don’t know about you, but aside from the traditional pecan pie, desserts always take a back seat to the main course and sides at my house. As my elder daughter says, "Thanksgiving is All About the Sides!" When extra guests show up and that pie won’t stretch far enough, whip up some quick cookies.

While these cookies are easy to put together and bake, I am also delighted to tell you that, once baked, they freeze and thaw beautifully, making your life even easier. You are welcome!

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cashew Cookies

I named these for the nuts I had on hand, but please feel free to substitute whatever you have in the cupboard. If your nuts aren’t roasted and lightly salted, toast them in a dry skillet and add one half teaspoon of fine sea salt when you sift the sugar and cocoa powder together. The salt is absolutely essential to balance the sweetness of these fudgy cookies.

Ingredients - for 2 dozen big cookies or 4 dozen small ones
3 cups or 375g powdered sugar
2/3 cup or 53g extra dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark.)
1/2 cup or 95g mini dark chocolate chips
5 1/3 oz or 150g lightly salted roasted cashews, chopped roughly
3 large egg whites

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with baking parchment or a silicone mat.

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa into a large bowl together.

Add in the chocolate chips and chopped cashews, saving a couple of tablespoons of the cashews for topping, if desired. I always like to add nuts to the tops of baked goods if there are nuts inside because 1. They look nice and more importantly, 2. They are a warning to those with nut allergies. No bad surprises.

Whisk your egg whites for a minute or so, just to break down the proteins. Pull your whisk out occasionally and let the egg whites drip off. You’ve beaten them enough when they no longer drop off in glops but drip smoothly. I use a small whisk and a measuring jug for this step, which makes the egg whites easier to pour into the other mixing bowl.

Pour the egg whites into the sugar/cocoa bowl and stir with wooden spoon or hard silicone spatula till they are well combined.

You will think that there are not enough egg whites, but just keep stirring. This batter is super stiff.

Using a 2-tablespoon or 1-tablespoon scoop (depending on whether you want big or small cookies), spoon the thick batter onto your prepared cookie sheets. Mine was a 2-tablespoon scoop.

Sprinkle each mound with a pinch of the chopped cashews, if you saved some.

Bake one pan at a time in the middle shelf of the oven for 12-14 minutes for the big cookies or 11-13 minutes for the smaller ones, or until the cookies are cooked on the outside edges and just set in the middle. Do not over bake!

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing them from the pan with a thin spatula.

I highly recommend serving glasses of ice cold milk with these fudgy flourless chocolate cashew cookies. A match made in heaven.

Enjoy!

Check out the other quick last minute cookies, my Creative Cookie Exchange friends are sharing. Such a small but delicious group this month!

• Easy Slice and Bake Lemon Shortbread Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cashew Cookies by Food Lust People Love
• No Bake Cheesecake Bites by A Baker's House

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

Pin it! 

 .

Mocha Stout Brownies #CreativeCookieExchange

Mocha Stout brownies are rich and chocolaty with a subtle deep flavor from the stout. I used Bateman’s Mocha Stout which is available in Dubai, but you can substitute your own favorite local brew.

Here in Dubai, as I’ve mentioned before, one must have a liquor license in order to purchase alcohol, including beer and wine. Because my husband travels a lot, always picking up bottles at duty free on the way home, we don’t go to the actual liquor stores that often. When we do go, I love browsing through the selection looking for odd bottles to use in cooking or baking. (Or cocktails!) This bottle of Mocha Stout was one such bottle. When I purchased it, I had no plans so it has been in the beer fridge for a while.

This month our Creative Cookie Exchange leader, Laura from The Spiced Life, put forward Beer Cookies as our theme, saying maybe it’s “too out there.” A little weird, yes, but just search “beer cookies” and you get: About 320,000,000 results. I was game for the challenge. My daughter reminded me of that mocha stout and I got busy!

Curious about the mocha stout? Here are the beer notes from the Bateman website.
Mocha (6% ABV) - Winner of the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt, our Mocha is a coffee and chocolate stout sensation. It’s brewed with genuine Arabica coffee, fine Belgian chocolate and locally grown, roasted barley malt. Rich, enticing and well rounded, the coffee and cocoa notes are certain to give your nose and taste buds a welcome wake-up call. 

Note: Just to be clear, I bought the mocha stout myself. This is not a sponsored post. Details included just for informational purposes.

Mocha Stout Brownies

When it comes to brownies, there’s chewy vs cakey. I prefer chewy. My first batch of these turned out a bit dry aka cakey so I doubled down and added another egg yolk and less flour. Ahh, much better! If you like yours cakey, omit the egg yolk and add an additional 1/4 cup or 31g more flour.


Ingredientsfor 2 dozen brownies
3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1/2 cup or 100g brown sugar
2/3 cup or 53g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup or 120ml coffee stout beer
1 3/4 cups or 220g all-purpose flour

Optional for decoration: Chocolate “coffee beans”
I bought mine at Waitrose here in Dubai. UK readers, here’s the link. In the US, Walmart has something similar. I tried to find them on the actual Bayside Candy website without any luck. You could probably also use actual chocolate covered coffee beans sold all over the place.

Method
Preheat oven to 325°F or 163°C. Line your 9x13 in or 22.5x33cm pan with baking parchment. I put a little butter on the pan under the parchment which keeps it from slipping around.

Measure your sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add in the melted butter and whisk again to combine.

In another smaller bowl, whisk your whole egg and yolk. Add the egg and stout to the large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

Fold in the flour, stirring until just combined.

Spoon the batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top out with a clean knife. Sprinkle on the chocolate coffee beans, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-27 minutes or until the top is slightly firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely. Cut into 24 even squares.

Enjoy!

It's October, a month well-known for a rise in beer consumption! At Creative Cookie Exchange we couldn't resist doing our part to help. Check out the other beery cookies and bars we have for you today!

• Belgian Witbier Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Crystalized Ginger and Amber Ale Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Mocha Stout Cookies from Food Lust People Love
• Spiced Molasses Amber Ale Cookies from The Spiced Life

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

Pin it!

 .

Easy Fig Pecan Bars #CreativeCookieExchange

Sticky, chewy, fig pecan bars are the perfect treat with a cup of tea or an ice-cold glass of milk. Baked up in a large pan, this recipe makes enough to share, but they also freeze beautifully so you don’t have to.

Sometimes when I am looking for inspiration, I like to do a recipe search in a foreign language. If it’s one I don’t speak, I’ll use Google Translate first, to find the key words (and the word for recipe!) and off I go down the rabbit hole of an entirely different internet world. It’s quite fascinating. Think about it. That's the world those native speakers inhabit daily.

Even when it’s a language I do speak - English for instance - using the search term “British” or “Australian” along with my key words can reveal recipes I would never otherwise have found because often the same sorts of treats are called completely different things.

For instance, years ago, when we first moved to Australia, I discovered that our US cookie bars, that is, cookies that are baked in one pan and cut into squares or rectangles, are known as slices there. Like our bars, slices come in all flavors and sizes.

This month my Creative Cookie Exchange group is sharing cookies that are great for a bake sale, so my mind immediately went to bars (or slices!) They are so much easier even than drop cookies or roll cookies when you need to bake more than one dozen.

I was feeling flush with fresh fig preserves, having just made a new double batch from my grandmother’s recipe, so I did a quick search for “jam slice” and turned up, I kid you not, 31,700,000 results, most of which seemed to have coconut. So then I tried “jam bars” and got even more results: 68,300,000, most of which seemed to be made with oats. Not that the US bars didn’t have coconut on occasion or that the Australian slices didn’t use oats from time to time, but there is definitely a bias the other way. I find it all most intriguing. Yeah, I know, I know, I’m sad. On the other hand, I made you some excellent fig pecan bars today.

Easy Fig Pecan Bars

After all that searching, what I like to call researching, I ended up adapting a Taste of Home recipe they call Winning Apricot Bars. They are the perfect after school or bake sale treat! Use your favorite preserves or jam if you don’t have fig.


Ingredients
3/4 cup or 170g butter, softened
1 cup or 200g sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 150g finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup or 65g roughly chopped pecans
1 jar (10 to 12 ounces) fig preserves (or sub your favorite preserves) (about 1 3/4 cups) 528g

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a 13x8-in or 33x20cm pan with baking parchment.

My homemade fig preserves have whole figs in them so I used a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to cut them into bits, right in the jar. If you are using jam or fruit preserves in which the fruit is already broken down, you will not need this step.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture, beating briefly in between additions and scraping down the bowl.

Fold in the finely chopped pecans.

Press two-thirds (about 530g, if you have a scale) of dough onto the bottom of your prepared baking pan.

Spoon the preserves onto the dough and spread them out evenly.

Mix the roughly chopped pecans into the remaining dough and crumble over the preserves.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown, turning the pan around halfway through to make sure it cooks evenly.

Cool the fig pecan bars completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 24 bars to serve.

Enjoy!

• Ricotta Mini Chip Cookies from the Spiced Life
• Butter Cookies with Mocha Frosting from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Easy Fig Pecan Bars from Food Lust People Love
• Cocoa Tahini Cookies with Sesame Crunch from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Anzac cookies from Flours and Frostings

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board. We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Pin it!

 .

Sweet Corn Bacon Skillet Cookie #CreativeCookieExchange

This sweet corn bacon skillet cookie is the perfectly sweet and salty combination adored in Momofuku corn cookies, made more delicious with the addition of bacon. And made easier as one big cookie to slice and serve.

A couple of years back, my elder daughter introduced me to what was then her new favorite cookie. Rich, buttery, sweet but a bit salty, those Momofuku corn cookies were chewy and completely more-ish. When this month’s Creative Cookie Exchange theme of “Big Cookies” was announced, I couldn’t wait to recreate them as a cast iron skillet cookie and, of course, add some bacon.

Because bacon makes everything better.

Sweet Corn Bacon Skillet Cookie

This recipe is adapted from my version of the original Momofuku corn cookies. If you like salty and sweet together, make the originals or make my bacon version. This is going to be your new favorite cookie too!

Ingredients - Makes 1 (12 in or 30.5cm) skillet cookie
3 slices or 75g smoked bacon, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
3/4 cup or 170g room-temperature butter
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cups or 220g all-purpose flour
1/2 cup or 65g freeze-dried corn powder (See note below)
1/4 cup or 45g corn flour (corn masa flour, like you’d use for tortillas, not corn starch. You can also use Harina P.A.N.*
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Note: I used Karen’s Freeze Dried Corn* in this recipe, measuring out 65g and then blitzing it into powder using a food processor.

Method
Fry bacon bits in your iron skillet until just crispy. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat to use in the dough. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel so it’s just greased enough to bake the big cookie. Set aside.

Use a stand or handheld electric beaters to cream the butter and sugar together on medium high until they are fluffy and pale yellow, about 2-3 minutes.

Add in the bacon fat and egg and mix them in with the beaters on low. Increase the speed to medium high again and beat for eight minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in another bowl. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the bacon bits and then mix the rest into the flour.

Add all of the dry ingredients into the other mixing bowl and with your mixer or beaters on low, beat just until it all comes together as a dough.

Cover your work surface with cling film and tip the dough out onto it. Press the dough into a circle of about 11 inches or 30cm across. Cover it with another piece of cling film and smooth out the surface. Slide the dough circle onto a cutting board or baking pan and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

As you come to the end of the chilling time, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Remove the cling film and ease the dough circle into your iron skillet greased with bacon fat. Sprinkle on the reserved bacon and pat the pieces in gently so they stick.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, turning the skillet around halfway through to make sure that cookie bakes evenly.

Leave the cookie to cool in the iron skillet. You can serve straight from skillet or turn it out onto a serving plate. Cut it into wedges with a sharp knife.

Enjoy!

* Amazon affiliate links

Many thanks to this month's host, Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories! Check out the other Big Cookies you'll want to make:

• Big O Cookies from All That's Left Are the Crumbs
• Kitchen Sink Cookies from The Spiced Life
• Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sweet Corn Bacon Skillet Cookie from Food Lust People Love

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board. We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Pin it!

 .

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars #BakingBloggers

When you are craving sugar cookies but can’t be bothered with rolling out dough and using cookie cutters, make frosted sugar cookie bars instead! They are super simple and are as pretty as they are tasty.

There’s a certain pace and skill to baking sugar cookies that can’t be rushed. Once you’ve mixed the dough, it needs to chill well before rolling. And you can’t roll it all out at once or it softens and won’t peel off the work surface. And you can’t roll it too thin or it breaks when you try to peel it off. It’s a practice makes perfect operation.

That’s where frosted sugar cookie bars pull out ahead in the tasty but easy race. One bowl dough, no chilling, no rolling, no cutting until after they are baked! Are they pretty shapes? Well, they aren’t Christmas trees, but they are neat squares. Who doesn’t love a good square?

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

This recipe was adapted from A Little Bit Crunchy A Little Bit Rock and Roll, which makes a huge 13x18 in or 33x46cm pan. If you are feeding a crowd, you will want to head over to the original recipe and maybe just add in some lemon.

Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
Zest 1/2 lemon
2/3 cup or 132g sugar
1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 2/3 cups or 208g flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups or 187g powdered sugar
3-4 teaspoons milk

To decorate: sprinkles

Method
Prepare your 8x8 in or 20x20cm pan (You can use a 9x9 in or 23x23cm pan for slightly thinner bars.) by greasing it or lining it with baking parchment. Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°F.

Beat the sugar and lemon zest together. Add in the butter and cream until fluffy.

Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until well combined.

Add the vanilla and lemon juice to the creamed mixture.

In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Then with the beaters on slow, add the dry ingredients into the batter bowl.

Tip the dough into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly, all the way into the corners.

Bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, or until it is just starting to brown.

Cool the cookie bars on a wire rack until completely cool before frosting.

While the cookie bars are baking, you can make the frosting.

In a mixing bowl, beat the shortening and butter together. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well until the shortening and butter are fully incorporated into the sugar.

Gradually add the milk, one teaspoon at a time, beating well with each addition until you get a spreadable frosting. You may not need all of the milk.

Once the sugar cookie bars are completely cooled, get your sprinkles ready. Pile the frosting on the cookie and smooth it out. I like to leave some dips and ridges to catch the sprinkles.

Immediately shake on your sprinkles so they’ll stick. I used two different sizes of sprinkles because I have a huge collection and it seemed like the right thing to do.

Chill for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, then use a sharp knife to cut them into squares.

The frosting will firm up as it dries out. Once this happens, cover with cling film or store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Do you love the ease of baking brownies or cookie bars too? You are going to love this month's list of recipes from my fellow Baking Bloggers. Many thanks to our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for her behind the scenes work. 

• Chocolate Brownie Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Pecan Bars by Kelli’s Kitchen
• Cream Cheese Brownies starting with a Box Mix by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Dark Magic Brownies by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Easy Salted Caramel Brownies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Egg-Less, Butter-Less, Chocolate Ragi Brownie by Cook with Renu
• Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars by Food Lust People Love
• Milk Chocolate Sour Cream Cake Brownies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• No Bake Reese’s Bars by Jonesin’ For Taste
• Nutella S'Mores Bars by Palatable Pastime
• Oreo Cheesecake Brownie Bars by Cookaholic Wife
• Peppermint Patty Brownie Bites by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pineapple Bars by Simply Inspired Meals
• Triangle Delight Bars by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interesting in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin it!

.