Have you seen the commercial, “Don’t mess with my discount?” Well, that is the line running in my head today. Are you thinking, “why mess with the sugar cookies?” I get it, but if I can share lower calorie sugar cookies where you will not miss that 2nd stick of butter, would you be curious?  I realize sugar cookies may not be the first cookie that pops into your head as we roll into spring. But one could argue this time of year is a great time to test a new recipe for lower calorie sugar cookies.

The lower calorie count is the result of less butter and sugar than other sugar cookie recipes. And, not to worry, the dough is still smooth and easy to roll.

It’s like the decade of low-fat cookies where we thought we could eat twice as many cookies because they were labeled low fat. But, then we found out the sugar was still hiding out in the cookies. 

Except with this recipe, we now know we don’t necessarily need an additional stick butter to keep the yummy taste and smooth texture. And, this recipe does not increase the sugar. 

The dough gives me consistent results with my cutouts.  I like my dough a little thicker so the cookie can hold a generous layer of frosting. What about you?

On a side note, here’s a quick read on the history of the sugar cookie. And, here’s a fun read about the sometimes under-appreciated sugar cookie. 

Baking temperatures vary, but I like my sugar cookies on the soft side. I set time or nine minutes and get an evenly baked sheet of sugar cookies.

LOWER CALORIE SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE

There is a new man in my life; I stalk him weekly and I always leave a message (in the form of a comment). He is a lifestyle blogger. I pin and print almost every recipe he posts. And, I loved his recipe for these frosted sugar cookie bars.

The ingredient list was short and the bake time was under 20 minutes. And, no cookie cutters needed for these sugar cookie bars.

Until I made this recipe, it never occurred to me that I could bake sugar cookies without cookie cutters.

Yep, the only thing you need for these sugar cookie bars is a sheet pan. I decided to use two smaller baking sheets so I could adjust the thickness of the cookie dough on the second pan.

The second baking sheet was covered with about 1/2 of the cookie dough.

I like my sugar cookies (and bars) thick. Kind of like my middle after inhaling a pan of these frosted cookies. 

Michael, my blogger crush, created a beautiful ombre frosting technique. It was an epic fail on my end of the country. 

Frosting Fiasco 

When my ombre tinted frosted started with a Pepto Bismol shade of pink it was impossible to take it down to a blush. Attempts to add more neutral frosting just made it a lighter shade of Pepto Bismol. 

So I put the Pepto Bismol tinted frosting and the two additional shades of pink aide and started over. I used a smidge of pink tint to create a shade of blush for my frosted sugar cookie bars. The lesson: I made an edit and saved the frosting. #everydayedits

I found my new favorite frosted sugar cookie bars recipe from Michael over at Inspired by Charm. In full disclosure, I saved the link to his blog for the end of my post. Because, once you click over to his blog, I may not see you at mine! Make sure you tell him his Colorado stalker sent you!