Thick and chewy Snickerdoodle bars topped with crunchy cinnamon sugar are a treat everyone will love! They have all your favorite snickerdoodle cookie flavors and come together so easily in one pan— just make the dough, smooth it into a baking pan, top with cinnamon sugar, and bake.
Since this recipe makes 24 cookie bars, it’s the perfect dessert to serve at a gathering. These snickerdoodles in bar form are also a great make-ahead dessert option, as you can chill the cookie bar dough for 24 hours before baking! You can also freeze the bars after they’re baked to enjoy at a later date. For more snickerdoodle recipes, try my pumpkin snickerdoodles, snickerdoodle cake, and snickerdoodle cupcakes.
Ingredients
Butter — use unsalted butter so the snickerdoodle bars don’t turn out too salty.
Sugar — granulated sugar adds the perfect sweetness to the cookie bars, and brown sugar also adds subtle molasses notes along with a chewy texture.
Eggs — eggs help to bind the dough.
Vanilla — use good vanilla extract for the best flavor.
All-purpose flour — this pantry stap is the perfect flour for cookie bars.
Cream of tartar — cream of tartar is essential for that signature snickerdoodle tang. Plus, when it’s combined with baking soda, it helps the snickerdoodle cookie bars puff up properly.
Cinnamon — ground cinnamon goes into the cookie bar dough and is combined with white sugar for the simple cinnamon sugar topping.
How To Make Snickerdoodle Bars
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts, mixing on low speed between each addition. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix just until combined.
5. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper. Add scoops of the dough to the prepared pan.
6. With a butter knife or offset spatula, spread the dough into an even layer.
7. In a small bowl, make the cinnamon-sugar topping by mixing together ¼ cup of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
8. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the top of the dough. Bake at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden brown and slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should have a few moist crumbs. Let the snickerdoodle bars cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.
Tap The Pan For A Crackly Top
For a crackly top, similar to the iconic look of a classic snickerdoodle cookie, tap the pan on a kitchen towel on your countertop 2 to 3 times right after it is removed from the oven. Don’t worry; the texture inside will still be just the right density! The bars will naturally deflate during cooling, but banging the pan will make them rapidly deflate and crack the top of the bars.
Don’t Over Bake The Bars
When you’re checking doneness, a toothpick inserted into the center should have a few moist crumbs, which means the snickerdoodle bars will be nice and chewy. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bars may be a bit drier or crumbly.
How To Store
Store leftover snickerdoodle bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the eggs and butter out about an hour before you start baking. Room temperature ingredients are much easier to incorporate into a cohesive dough than if they are cold. If you forget to set them out, follow my easy tutorial for how to soften butter quickly; you can soak the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, then drain and dry them.
- Weigh the flour. Using too much flour will yield dry, crumbly snickerdoodle bars. The best way to avoid this is to weigh the flour using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Over-mixing will cause the gluten in the flour to over-develop, which will cause the cookie bars to turn out tough instead of chewy.
- The dough should look and feel softer than a snickerdoodle cookie. This makes it easy to spread in the pan and yields a moist, chewy cookie bar.
- Watch the bake time. Overbaking will cause the cookie bars to dry out. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Add chocolate chips. You can gently fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips at the end of step 4. Use your favorite type of chocolate!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute cream of tartar for baking powder if you don’t have any; however, you will lose out on the special snickerdoodle flavor. The cookie bars will still be delicious but will taste more like a cinnamon sugar cookie without the tanginess of the cream of tartar.
Yes. Make the cookie dough, spread it into the baking pan, and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Yes! You can freeze individual bars or the whole uncut slab. Either way, wrap it well in a layer or two of plastic wrap and store it in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this snickerdoodle bars recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric mixer
- Small offset spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226g)
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar divided (250g)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (55g)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer), combine the butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed for about 1 minute or until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture in three parts, mixing on low speed between each addition, mixing just until combined.
- Add scoops of the dough to the prepared baking pan. With a butter knife or small offset spatula, spread the dough into an even layer.
- In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture all over the cookie mixture in the pan.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should have a few moist crumbs.
- Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan. Then pull on the parchment paper to transfer the bars to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the eggs and butter out about an hour before you start baking. Room temperature ingredients are much easier to incorporate into a cohesive dough than if they are cold. If you forget to set them out, follow my easy tutorial for how to soften butter quickly; you can soak the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, then drain and dry them.
- Weigh the flour. Using too much flour will yield dry, crumbly snickerdoodle bars. The best way to avoid this is to weigh the flour using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Over-mixing will cause the gluten in the flour to over-develop, which will cause the cookie bars to turn out tough instead of chewy.
- The dough should look and feel softer than a snickerdoodle cookie. This makes it easy to spread in the pan and yields a moist, chewy cookie bar.
- Watch the bake time. Overbaking will cause the cookie bars to dry out. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Add chocolate chips. You can gently fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips at the end of step 4. Use your favorite type of chocolate!
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