Sugar Cookie Bars

I made these for Break the Fast yesterday and they turned out great- everyone seemed to enjoy them and they were gone super fast! This is a yummy recipe and not too difficult to make (plus the ingredients are common enough that I had all of them :-) )

the bars: (note- you can also add food coloring to the frosting or sprinkles to make them look more interesting- I didn't have either of those things, so I just left them plain...)

the frosting:

before:

Bars:

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.

4. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

5. Press into a greased 13 x 18 inch pan and bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes.

6. Cool and frost (see directions below).

Frosting (note: I don't love this frosting as much as some of the other frosting recipes I've tried, but my roommates said it was amazing...):

Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons of milk
food coloring (optional)
sprinkles (optional)

I added just under teaspoon of almond extract too, and I think it made a difference- I'm sure it would be fine either way though...

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat the shortening and butter until creamy.

2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar.

3. Gradually add the 5 tablespoons of milk until you reach your desired constancy.

4. For the sprinkles, I found that they rolled all over the place. To help this, place a sheet of plastic wrap over the frosted sugar cookies and gently press the sprinkles into the frosting.

5. Chill and cut.