These Snickerdoodle bars are easy, quick, soft, chewy, and buttery bars that are coated with cinnamon sugar and taste just like a Snickerdoodle cookie!
These sweet treats are made with a buttery cinnamon-sugar cookie base and topped with a generous layer of cinnamon sugar.
Snickerdoodle bars are perfect for those who love the warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon and sugar in an easy-to-eat bar form.
Cookie bars are one of the easiest desserts that are baked in one pan, and then sliced and served. They are perfect for make for a crowd and can be doubled or tripled easily!
They make for a delightful snack or dessert option that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
If you like cinnamony desserts, check out our ginger molasses cookies, peach cobbler pound cake, pecan upside down cake, apple upside down cake, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
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Why this recipe works
- Ease- these bars are super easy to make: all you need to do is to allow the butter to soften, make the cookie dough, press it into the baking pan, top with cinnamon sugar, and bake!
- Flavor- this recipe is perfect for cinnamon and snickerdoodle lovers!
- Texture- these bars are extremely soft that melt in your mouth delicious with a slightly chewy center and crispy cinnamon sugar topping.
- Time- these bars come together in 30 minutes from start to finish! You will need to let them cool for another 20 minutes, serve and enjoy!
- Warm, spice cookie bars- these bars are packed with a warm cinnamon flavor that is so delish and is perfect for fall and winter time.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookie bars.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda- make sure that your baking soda isn’t expired and don’t swap it with baking powder!
Cream of tartar- the cream of tartar adds a tang to the cookie dough and is what makes the difference between a cinnamon sugar cookie and a Snickerdoodle.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Eggs– To give the bars a good structure and gives them a chewy texture. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Cinnamon- we love adding ground cinnamon to the cookie dough, it adds so much flavor.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Instructions
Prepare an 9 by 9-inch pan with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
Into a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature butter, cinnamon, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer until the mixture is creamy and light.
Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
Add the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix to keep these chewy.
Transfer the cookie dough to a parchment paper lined 9 by 9-inch pan and spread an even layer using an offset spatula.
Sprinkle the dough with lots of cinnamon sugar, and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 20-22 minutes. The edges should look set, and slightly golden brown. Don’t overbake them!
Expert Tips
- Slightly underbake the bars to keep them chewy and moist. They keep baking in the cooling process, so if they look underbaked in the middle of the bars, don't worry.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist bars and not dense and dry cookie bars.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the bars to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your bars release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making cookie bars is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these bars as they are pulled out of the oven, but allow them cool for at least 30 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
Faq's
This may happen if you overbaked you bars. I always underbake them by a little bit to ensure they will stay moist and tender. The second reason can be because you added too much flour.
Make sure that you measure you flour correctly, there are tips in the expert tips section in this post.
Yes! You can double or triple this recipe. There is an option to automatically double, half, or triple this recipe in the recipe card below!
When making bars, it is important to underbake them by a little bit since they continue to bake in the cooling process. The middle of the bars will look a little unbaked but will set in the cooling process.
Storing
Store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing
To freeze these, you will need to wrap the bars in plastic wrap or foil and seal them in an airtight container or in an airtight resealable bag. You can freeze them for up to 2 months.
Thaw at room temperature for about an hour or in the fridge overnight.
Make ahead of time
To make these ahead of time, prepare the cookie dough according to the instructions, and wrap the prepared dough in an airtight plastic bag and store in the fridge for 1-2 days.
When you are ready to bake, allow the dough reach room temperature and spread it in a prepared baking pan, and bake according to the instructions.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- It’s easy to make this recipe dairy-free. Simply replace the butter with vegan butter.
Gluten-free- you can swap the flour with gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free. I never tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work.
Cream of tartar- if you don't have cream of tartar, you can skip it.
Variations
Cream cheese frosting- top these bars with a nice layer of cream cheese frosting for a delicious combination of flavors and textures.
Spices- add your favorite spices for snickerdoodles! Like nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin spice, ginger, etc.
White chocolate- add mini white chocolate chips to the cookie dough for a delicious white chocolate flavor.
Buttercream- top these with a delicious and smooth buttercream frosting like cinnamon buttercream, vanilla buttercream, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- 9 by 9 inch pan
- Rubber Spatula
More bar recipes
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bars- These cinnamon toast crunch bars are a delicious treat made with crunchy cinnamon sugar cereal coated in a gooey marshmallow mixture.
Apple Crisp Bars- These apple crisp bars are made with a shortcrust base, topped with a spiced apple mixture, topped with a crumble topping, and topped with caramel sauce.
Lemon Brownies- These incredible lemon brownies are made with fresh lemon juice and zest, and topped with a lemon glaze. These bursts of citrus flavor in every bite.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Soft Snickerdoodle Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Butter softened, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ¼ cup Flour AP or cake flour
- 1 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Cinnamon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare an 9 by 9-inch pan with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature butter, cinnamon, kosher salt, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer until the mixture is creamy and light.
- Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix to keep these chewy.
- Transfer the cookie dough to a parchment paper lined 9 by 9-inch pan and spread an even layer using an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle the dough with lots of cinnamon sugar, and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 20-22 minutes. The edges should look set, and slightly golden brown. Don’t overbake them!
Notes
- Slightly underbake the bars to keep them chewy and moist. They keep baking in the cooling process, so if they look underbaked in the middle of the bars, don't worry.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist bars and not dense and dry cookie bars.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the bars to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your bars release easily from the pan.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making cookie bars is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these bars as they are pulled out of the oven, but allow them cool for at least 30 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
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