Snickerdoodle bars are soft, chewy cookie bars generously coated with cinnamon sugar. They are made with pantry staples in less than 45 minutes. This easy recipe will become a go-to for fall and holiday baking!
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Snickerdoodle cookie bars are thick, chewy and coated with cinnamon sugar. They’re as delicious as classic Snickerdoodle cookies, but in bar form. No need to chill the dough or shape out individual cookies!
I adapted this snickerdoodle bar cookies recipe from my great grandmother’s recipe for chewy snickerdoodles recipe. Snickerdoodle fans will love both recipes!
For more yummy cookie bars, try my lemon cranberry bars and Christmas M&M blondies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft and chewy. These recipe for snickerdoodle bars because they are perfectly soft and chewy just like these butterscotch squares.
- Delicious. They’re buttery, perfectly sweet and cinnamon-y. For another cinnamon sugar coated treat, try my apple cider cookie recipe!
- Easy recipe. You probably have everything you need to make these easy snickerdoodle bars in your pantry right now. You can make them in one pan in just 45 minutes!
- Shareable: These are an easy treat to pack up and share with others like my Nutter Butter bars. Whip them up anytime you need a quick treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Below are notes about some of the ingredients for this snickerdoodle bars recipe.
- Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar gives snickerdoodle cookie bars a slightly tangy flavor and chewy texture. You can find it in the baking aisle or online.
- Butter: We are using room temperature unsalted butter.
- 1 egg: Use 1 large room temperature egg.
- Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the cookie dough and in the coating. Sugar adds sweetness and helps give the cookie bars structure.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon give snickerdoodle bars their classic flavor. The cinnamon coating is amazing to bite into just like my cinnamon sugar banana bread and pecan cinnamon cookies.
Subsitutions & Variations
- Swap in a 1:1 gluten free flour to make these gluten free!
- Use salted butter. Reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter.
Instructions
Step 1: (Photo 1 above) In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
Step 2: (Photo 2 above) Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 3: (Photo 3 above) Stir in the dry ingredients til just combined. Avoid overstirring.
Step 4: (Photo 4 above) Spread dough evenly in an 8 inch square pan.
Step 5: (Photo 5 above) Stir the cinnamon sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over top.
Step 6: (Photo 6 above) Bake at 350 F for 16-18 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Expert Tips
Measure flour correctly. For best results, aerate flour before measuring or use a kitchen scale. Using too much flour can make these bars dry.
Avoid overmixing. Overmixing will give you tough cookie bars. Be sure to stop mixing when just a few streaks of flour remain.
Use an offset spatula. An offset spatula works great to spread the dough and smooth the top before baking.
Don’t over bake. Insert a toothpick into the center to check for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, remove bars from the oven.
Recipe FAQs
Snickerdoodles tastes similar to sugar cookies but are generously coated with cinnamon sugar. If the recipe has cream of tartar, the cookie has a slighlty tangy taste.
Cream of tartar combined with baking soda gives snickerdoodles their distinct slightly tangy taste and chewy texture. You can also use cream of tartar to make my easy snickerdoodles cookies!
Yes! Use a 1:1 gluten free flour to make these gluten free.
Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the baked, cooled cookie bars in plastic wrap then place in an airtight container such as a freezer safe storage bag for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.
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Snickerdoodle Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
Snickerdoodle Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease then line an 8 by 8-inch pan with parchment paper leaving a two inch overhang on two sides.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed til light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add the egg and beat til completely incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
- Use a spatula to stir the dry ingredients in in two additions. Stir until just a few streaks of flour remain. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use a spatula or an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar (recipe below) evenly overtop.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, til a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs when inserted in the center.
- Place pan on a wire rack. Cool completely in the pan before slicing. Use parchment paper overhang to lift cooled bars out on a pan. Set on a cutting board to slice.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- In a small bowl, stir to combine the cinnamon and sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Audrey Zimmerman
Super delicious! Although. I cooked it the first time 19 minutes and it was gooey. Baked it a second time for 28 minutes and it was perfect.
Natalie
Hi Audrey! Thanks so much for your feedback on the baking time and for making this recipe! I’m so happy you enjoyed these bars and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂 -Natalie
Coleen
So easy! So delicious! Keeps!
Natalie
Hi Coleen!! Thanks so much for making these bars and for taking the time to comment. So happy you enjoyed this recipe! Have a great weekend!