Festive Sugar Cookie Bars

I hope everyone had a lovely Fourth of July celebration. 🙂

We had a very low-key day followed by a delicious meal prepared on the grill, in Fourth of July fashion. This fun dessert was a festive way to end the day! The meringue icing was incredibly thick and fluffy; the pattern could be easily modified to decorate for any occasion.

This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. The cookies kept well for several days in the refrigerator.

Yield: 24 bars

For the Sugar Cookie Bars:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• Meringue Icing (recipe follows)
• red and blue paste food colorings

For the Meringue Icing:

• 3 cups Confectioners’ sugar
• 2 T meringue powder
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, preferably on convection.
2. Coat a half sheet pan (15×10-inch baking pan) with nonstick cooking spray, line with parchment paper, and coat the parchment with cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl beat butter with mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Add sugars; beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
5. Beat in egg and vanilla bean paste.
6. Beat in flour mixture. (Dough will be crumbly.)
7. Pat dough firmly and evenly into prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
8. Meanwhile prepare Meringue Icing. In a large bowl beat Confectioners’ sugar, ½ cup water, the meringue powder, and cream of tartar with mixer on high 3 to 5 minutes or until thick and fluffy.
9. Divide three 1/4-cup portions into small bowls. Cover remaining Meringue Icing to prevent drying out.
10. Tint 1/4-cup portions with paste food coloring to make red, light blue, and dark blue. Transfer each to a small resealable (sandwich) plastic bag.
11. Evenly spread remaining Meringue Icing onto cooled cookie.
12. For firework “burst” design, snip a small corner from each pastry bag. Pipe concentric circles in different sizes with tinted colors. Pull a toothpick from center to outer edge to create the firework pattern; wipe or replace the toothpick between each pull. Repeat as desired.
13. Chill, uncovered, 2 hours or until icing sets. To store, cover loosely with foil and chill up to 3 days.