January 2023 ~ We Love delicious Food, Recipes, and Cooking Techniques

Red Velvet Sugar Cookie Bars

Uzma AhsanJanuary 31, 2023Fine Cooking Recipes No comments:

These decadent red velvet sugar cookie bars with cream cheese frosting are so divine. This is the best of both worlds, all the goodness of red velvet cake in an easy-to-make cookie bar form.

Red velvet is one of my favorite dessert flavors. It’s rich and chocolatey with the best hint of tang! If you love it as much as I do, here are a few more recipes you need to try: red velvet cheesecake, red velvet pound cake, and red velvet white chocolate chip cookies.

These could quite possibly be the best cookie bars that I have ever made. They’re thick, dense and slightly crisp on the edges. It’s a perfect cross between a cookie and dessert bar. Topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting, these are going to be you new go-to favorites. They’re everything you love about red velvet cake but in a moist, fudgy dessert bar form. Psst- they’re also a great option for Valentine’s Day!

These bars though. They’re so moist and heavenly! The tangy flavor of the cream cheese frosting perfectly complements the sweetness of the red velvet, making every bite a burst of flavor in your mouth. These sugar cookie ebars are so good, you’ll find yourself reaching for another one before you even finish the first! Perfect for a sweet snack, a party dessert, or even as a special breakfast treat, these bars are sure to become a favorite in no time. So go ahead, give them a try and taste the yummy goodness for yourself!

These red velvet sugar cookies are scrumptious and easy to make. You are going to love how fast both the cookie bars and frosting come together. If you’re looking for exact measurements, they can all be found in the recipe card below.

Flour: All-purpose flour works great here!
Unsweetened Cocoa: If you have non-alkalized (also known as Dutch process) cocoa powder, use that!
Salt: Balances out the sweetness of the cookie bars.
Baking Powder: A necessary rising agent.
Butter: Bring the butter to room temperature before using it. This way, you will end up with a smoother batter.
Sugar: Just regular granulated sugar works fine!
Eggs: Give the cookies texture and lift.
Vanilla: Adds a little extra flavor. Use pure vanilla extract if you can!
Red Food Coloring: For that signature red color.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so your frosting ends up nice and smooth.
Butter: Should also be at room temperature.
Powdered Sugar: For thickness and sweetness.
Vanilla: Adds an extra pop of flavor!

6-photo collage of cookie bar batter and frosting being prepared.

As easy as cookies but faster and more hands-off. These will be a winner when you’re short on time, but need big flavor and big wow factor. Red velvet makes everything just a bit more special! These sugar cookie bars almost look too good to eat.

Preheat Oven, Prep Pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a 9×13 inch pan ready. I like to line mine with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray so that the bars easily lift out and are easy to cut.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Then set aside.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup butter softened and sugar until light and creamy. About 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and food coloring until combined.
Combine and Bake: Add the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 inch pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean. Allow to completely cool before frosting.
Prepare Frosting and Enjoy: To make the cream cheese frosting, Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat together until smooth. Frost the top of the bars and enjoy!

Red velvet sugar cookie bars cut into squares.

Tips and Tricks

These heavenly red velvet sugar cookie bars are a cinch to make. Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind so they turn out perfectly!

Prep Your Pan: Line your pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray so that the bars easily lift out and are easy to cut.
Room Temperature Ingredients: The butter and cream cheese should be brought to room temperature naturally, not in the microwave. This will ensure the creamiest texture. The butter and cream cheese will incorporate more evenly.
Batter Thickness: Don’t panic if the batter is thick, it’s definitely a cookie batter, not a cake batter.
Press: When you put the cookie bars into the pan use a spatula to press down evenly. It will bake up nice and chewy and amazing!
Add Toppings: Use your imagination to decorate these red velvet sugar cookie bars! Use sprinkles and candies to make them festive, for whatever holiday or occasion you’re making them for! You can also add a drizzle of chocolate or white chocolate sauce for extra decadence.

Storing Leftovers

Red velvet sugar cookie bars with cream cheese frosting will last for 3-5 days if stored properly. To keep them fresh, it’s best to store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat them, simply take the bars out of the refrigerator a few minutes before serving to allow them to reach room temperature. This way, they will be nice and soft and taste as good as they did on the first day!

3 cookie bars stacked on top of each other.

Red Velvet Sugar Cookie Bars

These decadent red velvet sugar cookie bars with cream cheese frosting are so divine. This is the best of both worlds, all the goodness of red velvet cake in an easy-to-make cookie bar form.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookie bar recipes, red velvet cookies, red velvet sugar cookie bars

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings Bars

Calories 452kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons red food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a 9×13 inch pan ready. I like to line mine with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray so that the bars easily lift out and are easy to cut.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup butter softened and sugar until light and creamy. About 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and food coloring until combined.
Add the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 inch pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean. Allow to completely cool before frosting.
To make the cream cheese frosting, Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat together until smooth. Frost the top of the bars and enjoy!

Notes

Originally posted January 26, 2014

Updated on January 31, 2023

Nutrition

source https://therecipecritic.com/red-velvet-sugar-cookie-bars-cream-cheese-frosting/

Smothered Pork Chops

Uzma AhsanJanuary 31, 2023Fine Cooking Recipes No comments:

Smothered Pork Chops are tender, savory, and satisfyingly covered in a creamy mushroom gravy. This one-pan dinner is the perfect comforting dinner at home that your family will love!

Forget everything you know about pork chops being dry and flavorless! These pork chops are so packed with flavor you won’t believe it, and they are so moist and perfectly cooked that my family instantly loved this recipe. After you try this recipe, you’ll have to try these fun Hawaiian Pork Chops, these delicious Baked Stuffed Pork Chops, and these easy Juicy Air Fryer Pork Chops.

Smothered Pork Chops in an Amazing Mushroom Gravy

When you need a restaurant-quality meal at home, these smothered pork chops are the perfect choice! The creamy gravy is so flavorful thanks to the one-pan method this recipe uses. Those delicious bits on the bottom of the pan get scraped up into the gravy along with earthy mushrooms and rich heavy cream. Smother your pork in this flavorful and satisfying gravy for the perfect juicy meat. I love to serve them with mashed cauliflower and some sautéed garlic asparagus with bacon!

This classic dish is not only incredibly delicious, but it is also affordable and a family favorite. The creamy gravy and tender, fall-apart meat is homemade goodness that will make you a very popular cook! This is a great recipe to add to the meal-planning dinner recipes. For other meal planning ideas, check out these totally delicious healthy meals!

Ingredients

One thing you won’t see in this ingredient list is canned soup! This is a made-from-scratch smothered pork chops recipe that is just as easy as using cans, without all those unknown ingredients. You could throw in some onions with the mushrooms to add a little extra flavor. You can find the exact measurements below in the recipe card.

Olive Oil: Add to pan warmed to medium high heat before adding in pork chops.
Salt and Pepper: To taste.
Thick Cut Pork Chops: Either bone-in or boneless will work, just adjust your cook time since bone-in will take a few minutes more on each side.
Sliced Mushrooms: Crimini, white, or portobello all work well.
Butter: Add to pan and whisk with flour to begin gravy.
Flour: Whisk together with butter until brown to start your gravy.
Beef Broth: Adds flavorful base to the gravy. You could use chicken broth instead.
Heavy Cream: Thick rich cream in the gravy mixed together with Worcestershire.
Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a little bit of tanginess to the gravy.

Smothered Pork Chop Recipe

Depending on the size of your pork chops, this could easily be a 30-minute meal! On top of being quick, clean-up is simple because it is all made in one pan! Just another reason that these smothered pork chops will be a family favorite.

Heat Oil: In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil.
Season Pork Chops and Cook: Salt and pepper the pork chops and add to the sauce pan. Sear on each side for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through and golden brown. Remove and set aside on a plate.
Sauté Mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Set aside on plate with pork chops.
Whisk Together Gravy: Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until it turns brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add Worcestershire sauce and dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine and Simmer: Add the pork chops and mushrooms back to the skillet and let simmer for a couple of minutes.
Serve: Plate and serve over mashed potatoes if desired.

Tips for Making Smothered Pork Chops

These smothered pork chops are so flavorful, and here I will share a few tips that make this recipe different from all the rest! They are super simple to whip up, and following these tips they will turn out perfect every time!

Pork Chops: Bring meat to room temperature and pat them dry before seasoning and cooking. Make sure your pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Mushrooms: Do not salt your mushrooms until after you have sautéed them to allow them to get great color.
Don’t Wipe Out Pan: Leave the drippings and brown pieces in the pan after cooking the meat because it adds great flavor to the gravy. In fact you may want to scrape them off the bottom with your spatula to be sure they mix in.

Smothered pork chops plated with mashed potatoes on a black plate.