Preheat your oven to 350° F. This ensures the cookie bars bake evenly and turn out perfectly.
In a small bowl, stir together 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 tsp of baking powder to combine. Set this mixture aside for later.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is crucial for getting that perfect texture.
Once creamed, stir in 1 egg, 3/4 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated.
Slowly incorporate the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients. You can do this in batches, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
Press the dough into a lightly greased half sheet pan (18×13) to create an even layer. Make sure to spread it out evenly for consistent baking.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Keep an eye on them to prevent overbaking; they should be soft when you remove them from the oven.
Once baked, allow the cookie bars to cool completely in the pan. This is important for easy handling during decoration.
Using one can of vanilla frosting, cover the top of the cookie bars with a thin layer. You want to create a smooth base for your decorations.
Score the top of the frosting to create 25 rectangles (5×5) to help with decorating. This will make it easier to cut later.
For Santa, use the red decorating icing to pipe the red portion of Santa's hat, creating wide upside-down U shapes. Then fill a disposable icing bag with vanilla frosting and cut off the tip. Pipe white icing along the red hat border to create Santa's curly white hair, and pipe along the bottom edge for his beard and mustaches.
Add a red sprinkle or red mini M&M for Santa's nose and two black sprinkles for his eyes. Sprinkle some coarse granulated sugar over the hair for a sparkling effect.
For Rudolph, fill a disposable icing bag with chocolate frosting and pipe upside-down U shapes onto each rectangle, spreading the frosting with a butter knife to create a smooth finish. For the eyes, use either two brown mini M&Ms or black sprinkles, with red M&Ms for the nose. Break apart pretzel rods to create antlers.
For Christmas trees, pipe green frosting into triangles and fill in; then sprinkle with red & green holiday sprinkles or mini M&Ms, and add a yellow mini M&M on top for a star. Use broken pretzel rods to create tree stumps.
For snowmen, pipe figure eights using the white frosting, filling them in completely. Create a red scarf with the red frosting, using either a round or star tip, and add two black sprinkles for the eyes and an orange mini M&M for the nose. Optionally, decorate with three black sprinkles or two brown mini M&Ms for buttons, edible snowflakes, and coarse granulated sugar sprinkles as snow.
Once all your decorations are complete, take a large sharp knife or a pizza cutter and carefully cut along the scored lines to make individual cookie bars. Serve and enjoy your festive creations!
