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Dine and Dish

Food blog with family recipes

May 28, 2018

Dear Friend, A Graduation Celebration

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Sheet Pan Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe from dineanddish.net. A soft and chewy cookie bar for a crowd!

Dear friend,

Hello and happy Memorial Day! We just returned home from spending the weekend in Iowa celebrating our niece Allison’s high school graduation. In Iowa, they do HUGE parties for high school graduation. It wasn’t that way in Southeast Kansas where I grew up and I don’t think it’s this way here in Kansas City, but in Iowa it’s a grand event.

My sister-in-law planned a wonderful party and it was the best way to kick off summer. There was lots of great food, fun outdoor lawn games, kitten cuddling, and catching up with friends and family. It was hotter than normal but it was a great event. 

Allison Rose Doyle Independence Iowa

This is our niece, Allison. Isn’t she the prettiest? She’ll be heading to the University of Northern Iowa in the fall, so not too far from home (but far enough to have that “real” college experience). What makes my breath catch in my throat is now that Allison has graduated, that means Jacob is next. It’s so hard for me to believe we are almost at this point in life. He’ll be a Junior in the fall and now that I know how fast high school passes by, I’m holding on for dear life. I hate to start mourning for something that hasn’t even happened yet, but man…it’s hard! I’m absolutely not ready to face the reality that my kids are getting older and will be leaving “the nest” soon. If you have tips for surviving the next couple of years without being a puddle of emotions ALL.THE.TIME. please let me know. I need all the help I can get!

Cute black and white kitten

Here’s a picture of a kitten we snuggled at the party. It has nothing to do with the rest of my letter other than it’s such a cutie, I had to share!

For each graduation party, I get asked to bring sheet pan sugar cookie bars. I made them several years ago and they were such a hit I guess they are my signature dessert now. For all of the graduation parties, Nick’s family rents a soft serve ice cream machine. Having these sheet pan sugar cookie bars there to top with soft serve ice cream is popular and so delicious! They usually have a wide assortment of bars, which makes for a great sundae idea.

Sheet Pan Sugar Cookie Bars Recipe from dineanddish.net

I’ll leave the sheet pan sugar cookie recipe I use for you below. They are soft and chewy…sprinkles aren’t required but they sure make things more fun.

In addition to the graduation party, we kicked off summer by picking sugar snap peas, strawberries, going to the pool, and having nerf gun wars outside. We also celebrated Ella’s 12th birthday (I’ll write to you about that in a future letter). How was your weekend? Write back when you can and let me know what fun things you did this weekend. I look forward to hearing from you. All the best, Kristen.

PS – these sugar cookie bars would make a great base for my fruit pizza recipe if you’d rather not use store bought dough!

Sheet Pan Sugar Cookie Bars recipe from dineanddish.net
Print

Sheet Pan Sugar Cookie Bars

These sheet pan sugar cookie bars are soft, chewy and tender and a simple dessert to feed a crowd!

Course Dessert
Keyword sheet pan sugar cookie bars, sugar cookie bars, sugar cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 24
Author Kristen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. Prepare a 13"x18" sheet pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray (we prefer PAM baking spray).

  3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined.

  4. Slowly add the flour, salt, baking soda and sprinkles to the mixer. Mix until just combined - do not over mix.

  5. Spread the sugar cookie dough into the prepared sheet pan, pressing evenly until pan is filled.

  6. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until slightly brown. The cookie bars will look like they are still a bit doughy, but will firm up and cook as they set for a few minutes. Cool completely and serve within 2 days for best results. 

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Filed Under: Cookies, Dessert, Previous Tagged With: cookies, Dessert, Family, food, graduation, recipe, sheet pan recipe, sprinkles, sugar cookie bars

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ally’s Sweet & Savory Eats says

    May 29, 2018 at 8:36 am

    Love these bars! And love your recap of Iowa. I guess I didn’t realize our grad parties were out of the norm – but you are right, we do make them big! And Go Panthers! My alma mater😉

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      May 31, 2018 at 10:21 am

      I feel like they are huge events. Growing up and in our neighborhood, most of the parties are open house type things on the weekend of graduation. Small bites and drinks, a quick hello and congrats and maybe a lawn game or two outside. I love the Iowa parties but am glad I don’t have to plan one 🙂

      Reply
  2. NICHOLAS says

    May 30, 2018 at 6:29 am

    The bars are great, the party was nice and summer is off and running.

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      May 31, 2018 at 10:22 am

      It sure is!

      Reply

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Kristen-125Hi friends, I'm Kristen! Mom of 4, Ambassador of Happiness, Coffee Lover and Connection Seeker. Come say hi! Read More…
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I believe that in order to live a happy life, you have to make happiness happen through implementing simple things that make you happy into every day. Here are a few of the things that bring me happiness - I hope they do you too.

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H is for...high!
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It was so strange being on a plane again. I’m so thankful I have the antibodies because the flights were full, which seemed wrong, but everyone around me did seem to keep their masks on, so that was good.
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I can’t wait until travel becomes a regular part of life again. I’ve missed it so much!
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G is for...oh so grateful!

I flew to South Texas yesterday to visit my parents whom I haven’t seen in 2 years. They live around 17 hours away from us. We typical get to see each other a few times a year but with the pandemic and other health issues it just wasn’t able to happen and I’ve missed them soooo much.

Grateful to have had COVID last month. Although it was not at all fun, it gave me the antibodies to make this trip possible. My dad is having surgery tomorrow so I’m helping with my mom so my dad can recover without having to worry about her.

Kansas is enjoying frigid temperatures and snow. I picked a great week to head south.
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F is for...food photography.
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Anyway, this wouldn't work for a client shoot because the cake, although delicious, didn't turn out looking so great. But it will work great for today's F photo for the @kimklassen_innercircle A-Z photo project:) Lemon Citrus Yogurt Cake from this weeks @cabotcheese newsletter. So good!
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There’s a lot of excitement in Kansas City as our beloved @chiefs head back to the Super Bowl this weekend! #runitback 🏈
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It’s so strange because winning the super bowl last year was the last “normal” thing that happened before the pandemic hit. We went from a city full of excitement to shutting down and sheltering in place. Maybe when we win and bring the trophy home this year, it’ll be the start of something great. Let’s hope!
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February has always been my least favorite month. I have a special name for this month that may start with another not so nice F word...🤭.
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In Kansas, the sun usually doesn't shine that often, it's cold, and just kind of gray and blah.
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My indoor jungle makes me happy though...especially this space in my office. Houseplants almost makes me forget we’re in the “F” month 😂.
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My beautiful, custom, Rock Your Happy bullet journal is from @maisielaneco . Coffee/espresso is from @mistoboxcoffee Fabulous photography backdrop is from @poppybeesurfaces . Crystals are from a wonderful local shop here in town.
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There’s still time to join in the @kimklassen_innercircle photography group, where this months theme is A-Z. Join us!
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It wasn’t until I was an adult, and my kids began to sleep through the night, that I started reading for fun. Now, I read all the time and it’s one of my favorite pastimes. I love talking books with people and sharing recommendations. I really don’t watch TV, so books, especially right now, is my main form of entertainment.
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This is why for the @kimklassen_innercircle A-Z photography challenge, I knew that Books would be my B. It’s my favorite B word (beating out Bullet Journaling, Bread, Blankets, Be Happy, etc).
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A is for Alone. I think one of the hardest things for me to get used to this past year is rarely being alone. My husband used to travel all the time. My school aged kids were in school all day while I worked. I’d even get several days a month in a hotel room by myself for my work travels. I like my alone time and it’s definitely something I miss.
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I’m easily distracted so you will usually find me working in complete silence…maybe just the hum of my essential oil diffuser and the sound of my fingers on my keyboard. I need the quiet and treasure silence.
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With that said, I’ve loved the extra time with my family - and we’ve all learned over the past several months how to give each other space and recognize when we need that space. As of today, my kids all are back to school full time in person 😢. Nick is still working from home and will be for the time being, but now the aloneness feels strange. I’m sure we’ll get used to this “new normal” yet again!
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This month in @kimklassen photography Inner Circle, we’re tackling the alphabet, with an A-Z photography challenge (interpreting that however we see fit). If you want to join us, check out this wonderful community of photographers at @kimklassen_innercircle 📷.
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