Frosted Circus Animal Cookie Bars
Soft and chewy cookie bars frosted with a thick layer of fluffy buttercream and topped with those irresistible Circus Animal cookies!
Ingredients
Cookie Bars:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- One drop Red food coloring
- Frosted Circus Animal Cookies (I used 35 cookies)
- Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Make the Bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla and almond extract, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary and mix until smooth and well incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, mixing on low until the dough comes together.
- Press the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 17-19 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
Make the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vanilla, almond extract and salt on medium speed until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until just combined. Beat in the food coloring. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the heavy cream, and beat on high until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
To Assemble:
- Frost the cooled cookie bars, then top with the Circus Animal Cookies. Add sprinkles, if desired. Using the parchment paper, gently lift the cookie slab from the pan, cut into bars, and serve!
Notes
*In order to cut through the animal cookies without smashing the cookie bars, I ended up carefully turning the whole cookie slab over (once the frosting and everything had set overnight) onto a cutting board, then gently slicing through the bottom soft cookie layer first, so that the crunchy animal cookie layer was against the cutting board and easier to cut.