No one has to know.

Sometimes I want to make the fancy cookie with the fancy frosting or decoration and do all the things... Sometimes I want to make a slab of cookie in a pan, slap some frosting on it and then cut it to look like Christmas trees. Being near the end of the holiday season meant less effort but also still cute bakes. These cookie bars could be customized to whatever holiday or event you are planning, they don't need to be trees, they could just be squares or triangles. I brought these to a family party and they were gone very quickly. My favorite dish to bring home is an empty one - and in this case - toss. Make all the good things, even if they are easy, make them. No one has to know.

Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie Bars
Sugar Cookie Bars:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder not baking soda!
½ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Buttercream Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
Topping
Green food coloring
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F. If butter hasn't been softened you can place in microwave for 10 seconds to *slightly* soften it.
In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks) and granulated sugar (1 cup) on medium speed for 20-30 seconds. While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and almond extract (1 teaspoon).
Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons), salt (½ teaspoon), and *all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups); adding flour ½ cup at a time on low speed.
Mix until all flour disappears, typically 20-30 seconds. You do not need to beat/mix this any longer than it takes to mix in the flour. When pinched between your fingers, dough should be similar to a playdoh consistency and not be very sticky. Refer to photo above in post for how dough should look.
Spray a light-colored metal 9×13 pan with cooking spray, then line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang on each long side so that you will be able to lift the bars out of the pan.
Drop the dough into 1-tablespoon sized chunks into the prepared pan. Use your hands or a spatula to press down the dough until it covers the pan.
Tip: If the dough is sticky, you can place another piece of parchment paper on top and continue pressing down. To get clean edges, you can fold down the sides of the parchment paper and press like shown in the FAQ section above.
Bake bars at 350°F for 14-16 minutes. The trick to soft sugar cookie bars is to take them out right when you see the TINIEST amount of brown around the edges. The center may look underdone and this is okay; the bars will continue to bake in the hot pan when cooling.
Allow to cool completely before frosting (you can put the pan in the fridge on a cooling rack to speed this up).
In a large bowl, beat unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) on medium speed using a hand or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) for 1-2 minutes, until light and creamy.
Keeping the mixer on medium speed, slowly add in vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), almond extract (½ teaspoon), and powdered sugar (2 cups).
Once incorporated, turn mixer to high speed and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and beat for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk if frosting seems too thick to spread.
Add green food coloring and mix until combined. If you plan to add a little frosting star, reserve about 2 tablespoons of the white frosting so that you can dye it yellow!!
If using sprinkles, add them immediately after frosting. If you wait too long, the frosting will set and the sprinkles won't stick.
Chill or freeze bars for 30-60 minutes before cutting (this will help prevent the frosting from smearing!).
If not eating same day or within 3-4 hours, place in airtight container to stay fresh. These bars can sit out for a few days due to the sugar in the frosting keeping the milk stable. These bars are also amazing chilled or frozen for 1-2 months (any longer and they tend to dry out).