Sugar Cookie Bars with Strawberry Glaze and Sugared Flowers

Spring is in the air...and in these cookie bars!


These thick, soft, lemony sugar cookie bars are topped with a generous layer of strawberry glaze and decorated with sugared flowers. I mean, do those look like spring, or what?

Of course, the bars are made with my favorite, Land O Lakes® butter. Want to know the secret to that gorgeous glaze? Fresh strawberries...and more butter.

I used Land O Lakes® unsalted half sticks for both the cookie batter and glaze.


As the cookie bars were baking, I was swooning over the heavenly scent of lemon, butter, and sugar and wondering how I could bottle it. You know how fall smells like pumpkin, and December like gingerbread, and Valentine's Day like chocolate (and summer like 3 months of bad hair days)? Well, these bars smell like springtime.


Once again, I'm thrilled to be partnering with Land O' Lakes for the Pin a Meal. Give a Meal. benefiting Feeding America. For every recipe pinned, such as these Sugar Cookie Bars, 10 meals will be donated to Feeding America.

You can pin more meals from Land O' Lakes to contribute more meals. Visit www.landolakes.com/Pinameal to learn more.


Let's talk about this recipe.  First, you'll make the sugared flowers. I guarantee you, you'll be seeing these atop some cookies soon.  You'll only need three things: edible flowers (check your produce section near the herbs or online), superfine sugar, and powdered egg whites. (You can also use pasteurized egg whites.) You'll want to make these at least a day ahead of making the cookie bars.

Be sure to avoid flowers with pesticides...in other words, look for flowers labeled "edible," don't go plucking flowers from your neighbor's garden.


The sugar cookie bars come together in a snap! Lemon and vanilla flavor a thick, buttery sugar cookie base. The glaze is full of fresh strawberry flavor and has added richness with the addition of butter.

Sugar Cookie Bars with Strawberry Glaze and Sugared Flowers
{makes 24 bars}

for the sugared flowers:
2 teaspoons powdered egg whites
2 tablespoon water
24 edible flowers, such as violas
superfine sugar

for the sugar cookie bars:
2 &1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (3 half sticks) Land O' Lakes unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the glaze:
1 & 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
5 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 tablespoons (1 half stick) Land O'Lakes® unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

make the flowers:
With a fork, whisk the powdered egg whites and water in a small bowl until foamy. Using a small, clean paintbrush, brush the mixture onto the edible flowers, coating the back first. Do this over a small plate, letting the front of the flower rest on the plate as you're coating.

Sprinkle the superfine sugar over the entire flower, and shake off the excess. Place the flowers on a wire cooling rack to dry. (Or, place the flowers in a food dehydrator set on the lowest setting for a few hours.) They're dry when the flowers are stiff.

make the sugar cookie bars:
Grease a 9x13" pan. Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, sour cream, zest, and extracts, beating until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.

Add the flour mixture in two additions, beating on low just until combined. Spread evenly with an offset spatula in the prepared pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until done. Let cool completely.

make the strawberry glaze:
Process the strawberries and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Drain the blended strawberries through a fine sieve, using a rubber spatula to press through. Discard the seeds.

Sift the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the strawberry puree and mix on low. Add in the corn syrup and butter, beating until completely incorporated. Add in the vanilla.

assembly:
Pour two cups of the strawberry glaze over the cooled cookie bars. Let the glaze set up for at least 2 hours. Score the bars using a bench scraper or knife into 24 bars. Place on edible flower on each bar.


The Land O’Lakes Foundation will donate $1 to Feeding America® for every recipe pinned or repinned between March 2, 2015 and April 30, 2015. (Pin any Land O’Lakes recipe or submit any recipe pin at LandOLakes.com/pinameal). $1 helps provide 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. Land O’Lakes guarantees a minimum of 3.5 million meals (monetary equivalent of $350,000).

*Disclosure: Bake at 350 has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversations blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

YOU'LL WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS:
This year, Land O’Lakes is offering another fun way to support Pin A Meal. Give a Meal. — A live online cooking event with Ree, The Pioneer Woman, and Becky from the Land O’Lakes Test Kitchen. The event takes place on Wednesday, April 1 at 1 p.m. ET. Ree and Becky will be cooking their signature Feeding America® recipes live through an online video stream from Ree’s ranch and answering your spring cooking and baking questions.

The best part? All day on April 1, for each recipe pinned from the Land O’Lakes Pin A Meal. Give A Meal board Land O’Lakes will double their Feeding America® donation from 10 meals per pin to 20 meals per pin.  

Participating in the event is simple!

 RSVP by clicking the link here: landolakes.com/livecookingevent. A reminder will be automatically added to your calendar and you’ll be sent a confirmation email recapping all the event details.

 At noon on April 1, return to the same link where you RSVP’d and tune in for the live cooking event.

 Share your questions for Ree and Becky on Twitter using #PinAMeal and they may answer them live during the event.

 All day on April 1, pin recipes included in the Land O’Lakes Pin A Meal. Give a Meal program to help double the amount of meal donations.

I’ll be participating along with fellow bloggers: Two Peas and their Pod, A Spicy Perspective, a farmgirl’s dabbles, The Little Kitchen, and Fifteen Spatulas. We hope you will join us!


More Recipes for Spring from the other Land O’Lakes Bloggers: 
Joanne's Leek Gratin 
Sommer’s White Chocolate Citrus Chick Cookies 
Julie’s Brown Butter Pasta with Asparagus & Bacon
Maria’s Spring Panzanella Salad
Brenda’s Cheesy Hash Brown Cups