Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!
by Caitlin
I know plenty of others before me have already said this: but I had a hard time choosing a favorite post to share with you all. It's been such fun for me to write here, to reconnect with some of you reading, and to be part of this little community. I can hardly believe I've been doing it for almost two years. I have long wondered how Jennie does it all, and fully support her decision to step away. But, oh, I will miss it here. I will miss you. Thank you for reading along, talking about food, sharing your food memories with me, and being part of this adventure. So, until next time: the recipe I make most from this site is probably Sarah's versatile marinade. And my favorite post of mine has to be this one, about my Gram. A perfect bittersweet note to end on.
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So! Does anyone else feel like blasting Vitamin C's classic hit Friends Forever - Graduation Song?
"If you got somethin' that ya need to say you better say it right now cuz you don't have another day."
Here's what I have to say.
A) I'll always have a soft spot for late 90s belly shirts and hackey sacks.
B) TODAY is Day 30. 30 days of grain-free, whole foods, no added sugar, no alcohol, no nothing? DUNZO. Fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, nuts, seeds, oils. There was a lot of coconut. 30 days. I can't believe it.
C) I'm not sure what I'm going to eat tomorrow, other than oats for breakfast. It's a little scary, actually. They recommend you reintroduce things slowly to see how your body reacts with the clean slate it has to work with. And that's great and I totally get it, I just don't know exactly how that looks for me yet. I'm just going to take it one day at a time. At some point I plan on trying dairy, and at some point I will try gluten again, and then I shall make these delicious sugar cookie bars.
Photo from dinnersdishesanddesserts.com
Back in December my friend Jen posted on twitter about the angels she heard singing when she made something magical called "sugar cookie bars." And the thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE sugar cookies. A nice soft, chewy, fat sugar cookie with frosting and sprinkles? GIMME. But I hate rolling out cookies and dealing with all that. It's so much work and I can never find a recipe that gives me the exact cookie I want. I'm a sucker for those horrible grocery store cookies that are round and topped with seasonally appropriate colored frosting and sprinkles (I think they're called Lofthouse?). They're full of nasty ingredients and probably dye your insides the same seasonally appropriate shade, so I don't buy them, except maybe once a year. Maybe. And then I eat one or two and throw the rest away.
All of this is a long way of saying that while I really wanted to make sugar cookies at Christmas, I also really wanted to NOT make sugar cookies at Christmas. Enter this recipe. It was so easy, and so good, and I no longer see the point of cut-out cookies, unless someone else is making them. Sugar cookie bars! SUGAR COOKIE BARS! How had no one thought of this sooner??
I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 pan, and I had a hard time getting the cook time right. The first batch was way undercooked, the second was over - so far over I had to throw it away. It turns out that slightly underbaked sugar cookie bars are actually delicious, if a bit much. Next time I make them I'm going to have to be much more careful watching the cook time. I am willing to experiment and get it right though. For science.
The buttercream is the perfect consistency, the dough is soft and chewy, and the right sprinkles - I did a layer of sanding sugar, then a layer of Christmas colored jimmies - tie it together perfectly for look and crunch. They'd be fitting for any holiday (Valentine's! St. Paddy's Day, Easter! Rainbow sprinkles for summer, fall colors, Halloween! Thanksgiving and Christmas!), a shower, a birthday party, or just because HEY, sugar cookies are DELICIOUS and you just ate nothing but pure, whole foods for a month. Good luck having two bites and slipping into a diabetic coma, crazy.
Have you made sugar cookie bars? Do YOU have a favorite Food Lush post? I'll miss you!
I'll miss reading about some of our adventures on here. :( But I'm sure you all will go on to do great things!
Posted by: Laura | January 31, 2013 at 12:12 PM
I love sugar cookie bars! They have become a birthday/holiday staple around here. I made a version with green frosting and candy pumpkins for my son's birthday near Halloween (check them out here: http://www.musicalsoupeaters.com/?p=948). I'll sure miss your posts, Caitlin!
Posted by: Tara C. | January 31, 2013 at 12:15 PM
SUGAR COOKIE BARS! (And you've just reminded me that I need to start making some and eating them and then making some more for Valentine's day.)
I've always loved your posts here. Thank you!
Posted by: HereWeGoAJen | January 31, 2013 at 03:23 PM
Catie,
I'm going to miss reading you here but I'm glad you've had the chance to do this. I know you love to write and writing about food is, well, perfect!
Congratulations on doing something you love!
Love, Dad
Posted by: Duncan Hannah | January 31, 2013 at 05:00 PM
Mmmm, I've made other kinds of cookie bars, but never sugar cookie! Those look delicious.
Posted by: Elsha | January 31, 2013 at 05:24 PM
Sweet Caitlin, I LOVE your posts. Love them. I will miss reading your writing here. Thanks for all the heartfelt, funny, delicious posts over the years. Take care! (OMG I just saw your dad's comment and cried like a freak!)
Posted by: Jen L. | February 02, 2013 at 08:42 AM