Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars with Hibiscus Frosting
Tangy Meyer lemon sugar cookie bars with a tropical hibiscus frosting. Meyer lemons are my favorite winter citrus, perfect for a Christmas dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar 7 ¼ oz/200g
- 2 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
- 2 oz cream cheese 60 g softened
- ½ c butter 4 oz/113 g softened
- 2 tablespoon meyer lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg I large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups AP flour 7 ⅞ oz/225 g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
For the frosting:
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar 4 oz/120g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon Hibiscus Syrup see notes
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 Deg F ( 177 Deg C). Prepare a high sided (3” is good) 8x8 inch baking pan with butter then two pieces of parchment paper as wide as the pan but a few inches loner than each edge so some hangs over the edges.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer ( or large bowl if using a hand mixer) rub together the sugar and lemon zest. Add in the butter and cream cheese and mix on medium high until light and fluffy, 5-6 minutes. Add in the lemon juice, extract egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat again until well mixed. Whisk together the flour, soda, salt, cream of tartar and cardamom in a separate bowl then add into the sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- Scrape the mixture out of the bowl into the prepared pan and spread as evenly as you can to all edges. I use an offset spatula for this.
- Bake for 25- 30 minutes until edges are set and the middle is no longer jiggly.
- Cool completely in pan before frosting
- To make the frosting mix the butter and cream cheese together then add in the sugar, salt extract and cream and mix until smooth. Add in the hibiscus syrup one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired taste and color. Remove the cookie bars in one piece from the pan, set on a piece of parchment or wax paper on a cutting board. Spread the frosting evenly over the top. Cover with festive holiday sprinkles. Chill then cut into squares. Transfer to a serving platter or plate to serve.
Notes
For the Hibiscus syrup combine 1 ½ cups sugar with 1 cup water and 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers in a saucepan and bring to a boil stirring to make sure all the sugar dissolved. Lower to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover the pan with a lid then let steep for an hour. Strain into a jar and chill competely before using. You can also do this with a cup of fresh cranberries in place of the hibiscus. You will have lots of syrup leftover which is great in cocktails and mocktails as well as cake and cookie frostings.