Sugar Cookie Bars

Aren't they cute? They're sugar cookies in bar form. Well.. kind of. They taste almost like cake and like a cookie at the same time. I put less sugar in them because the frosting is very sugary and the whole thing tastes amazing! I made these for my 8 and 10 year old cousins and they had a blast decorating them with me. If you want a treat little kids will love, this is the one to make!
Sugar cookie bars
adapted from what megan's making
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. line a 9 x 13 baking pan with aluminum foil. spray with cooking spray
In large bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla.
In separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to wet mixture until just combined. Press into prepared pan.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and lift bars out using aluminum foil. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons heavy cream
Food coloring

S'mores Cheesecake Bars

If you haven't tried these or even thought about making these, then i think you must be crazy.
I was kind of skeptical to try this recipe at first because i didn't think s'mores and cheesecake went together very well. But after i tasted it, i couldn't have been more wrong! The cheesecake bars really resemble s'mores and they're very rich and almost melt in your mouth. Sure, they have to sit in the fridge for a few hours for the cheesecake to set, but the wait is worth it. Even the little ones will like these.
S'mores cheesecake bars:
(slightly adapted from Annie Eats )
Ingredients
For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine, melted
For the cheesecake:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
10 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup marshmallow cream
2 tsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted
Directions:
To make the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8 baking pan with foil; spray lightly with cooking spray. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork until well combined. Press the mixture in an even layer into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake 6-8 minutes; Transfer to wire rack will you prepare the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

To make the filling, melt the bittersweet chocolate in a greased pan over low heat. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, beat the cream cheese and marshmallow cream until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. Blend in cocoa powder, vanilla, and eggs until incorporated. Stir in the melted chocolate until well blended. Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake about 30 minutes or until the center is just set (does not jiggle when shaken) Remove from oven.

Evenly top the cheesecake layer with mini marshmallows. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes or until the marshmallows begin to melt into each other. Transfer to wire cooling rack. Once the cheesecake is cool, drizzle the top with melted chocolate. Transfer to refrigerator and chill 2-3 hours before slicing and serving.