• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
• Cut the butter into 8 pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to partially melt/soften the butter. (Alternately, you can leave the butter out to soften for an hour or so.)
• Add the sugar and whisk until well combined and there aren't any pieces of butter still visible.
• Whisk in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract, if using. The mixture might look a little curdled but that's ok.
• Stir in the baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the flour until it's just mixed in.
• Spread the dough evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until very light golden brown around the edges, 14 to 16 minutes. The bars are best slightly under baked, so make sure to not let them get too brown.
• Allow the sugar cookie to fully cool before pulling out of the pan. Spread the frosting evenly over the surface of the sugar cookie then sprinkle over some additional crushed strawberries or sprinkles.
• Cut the sugar cookie into 16 bars. Serve or store, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Easy Strawberry Frosting

• Add the freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor. Grind the strawberries into a fine powder.
• Add the butter and cream cheese and process until they are whipped together with the strawberry powder.
• Add the sweetener to your taste. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor and process the frosting again to make sure everything is whipped together. Use the frosting as instructed above.