Sugar Cookie Bars with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Love sugar cookies, but don't make them often because it's so much work to roll and cut them?  This is the answer- sugar cookies in a bar.  These are really yummy.  I got the cookie recipe from Pinterest, but made up my own  cream cheese lime frosting.

Sugar Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a large, sided cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.  

In the stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the soft butter, cream cheese and the butter.  When fluffy, add the egg and vanilla.  Stop the mixer and add the flour, soda, and baking powder.  Turn on mixer slowly and blend well.  

Turn the dough into your prepared pan and press it evenly into the pan.  The dough is very soft and sticky.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the outside edges are browning.   Cool completely and frost.

You can frost these with a vanilla buttercream frosting, but I had some limes to use, so made up this lime cream cheese frosting.  It was delicious.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

Lime juice- probably about 1/4-1/3 cup

Powdered Sugar

1 tiny drop green food coloring (opt.)

Beat the butter and cream cheese together.  Add juice and powdered sugar until the frosting is spreading consistency.

This makes a lot of frosting.  If you like thick frosting, make the whole recipe, but if you prefer less frosting, half this recipe would be great.  In preparing for our upcoming reunion, I doubled the cookie bar recipe and made this frosting recipe and it covered both pans of cookies just fine.