Incredibly EASY, thick, soft and chewy, buttery Snickerdoodle Bars taste just like the cookie but so much easier and less time consuming! The cinnamon and sugar crackle top is to live for!
These Snickerdoodle Bars taste like your classic snickerdoodle cookie – thick, soft and chewy, loaded with cinnamon and sugar but instead of rolling dough into every single cookie and rolling all those cookies in cinnamon and sugar, we have no hassle bar form that are almost effortless. If you can spread batter into a pan, you can make these bars!
I know there are quite a few Snickerdoodle Bar recipes out there but I slightly adapted this recipe form a magazine and I think it is perfection.
The bars are not only buttery, thick and chewy with the classic slight tang from the cream of tartar, but they get enveloped in cinnamon and sugar by sprinkling it on the bottom, middle and top of the bars – so you have cinnamon and sugar through and through instead of just topping – although the topping is incredible.
These Snickerdoodle Bars are so good, in fact, Patrick and I could not stay away. They stayed moist on the counter for a couple days and then they were seen no more. I think its time for another batch.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Bars
To make these Snickerdoodle Bars, you sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on bottom of your baking dish. Next, top with half of the dough, then sprinkle with 3 more tablespoons cinnamon and sugar.
Next, drop remaining dough by spoonfuls over the Cinnamon Sugar layer – it will be thick – which is why we melt butter, then dip our spatula in the melted butter in order to help it spread, and dip in butter again and again, mmmmmm…..
Finally, shower top with remaining cinnamon and sugar and bake for about 30 minutes then let cool before slicing. The waiting with the wafting of cinnamon and sugar throughout your kitchen will be the most difficult part of making these no hassle, no fuss, Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars.
Aside from the wonderfully buttery, soft and chewy texture of the bars themselves, my favorite part is the slight crystallized granule texture of the cinnamon and sugar topping.
And my other favorite part is how much Patrick loves these bars. He is not effusive about every single recipe I make, as I cook ALL. THE. TIME. but he was in love with these bars. And you will be in love too. Just in time for Valentines. xo
Do Snickerdoodle Bars need to be refrigerated?
Snickerdoodle Bars or any cookie bars don’ need to be refrigerated unless they have a cream cheese frosting. These Snickerdoodle Bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about one week.
Can I freeze Snickerdoodle Bars?
Yes! To freeze Snickerdoodle Bars:
- Let bars cool completely before slicing.
- Line bars on a parchment/nonstick mat lined baking sheet without touching.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid (about 1 hour), this prevents the bars from freezing together later when stored. Alternatively, you can skip this step and freeze bars individually in their own plastic bag.
- Transfer bars to a freezer size plastic bag, and place parchment paper in between each row.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready to eat, warm Snickerdoodle Bars in the microwave at 20 second intervals until warmed through.
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Snickerdoodle Bars
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Cinnamon & Sugar Topping
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×13” baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream softened butter, brown sugar and ¾ cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until blended. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the Cinnamon and Sugar Topping
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar in the bottom of prepared dish. Drop half the batter by the spoonfuls evenly over cinnamon sugar then spread into an even layer (its okay if the cinnamon sugar spreads), then . If you are having an extra hard time spreading the batter, then coat a piece of wax paper with nonstick spray and lay it on top of the dough and use your hands to spread out the dough. (thanks to reader Pia for this awesome tip!) Sprinkle 3 more tablespoons cinnamon sugar over dough.
- Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls over the cinnamon sugar layer (it will be thick). Dip a spatula in the melted butter and carefully spread dough in an even layer, repeatedly dipping spatula in butter as necessary. Sprinkle top with remaining cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the dish, then cut into 24 bars.
- Cover bars and store at room temperature.
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Deb says
These snickerdoodle bars look delicious! I would love to have one right now for breakfast! Thanks for sharig the recipe!
Jen says
You are so welcome Deb! I hope you can make them soon and eat them for breakfast 🙂
Melinda | Sprinkle and a Dash says
Jen,
I know I will make these soon, but I actually might NEED these today! I LOVE Snickerdoodles and these look incredible! Thank you for such a great idea.
Jen says
Hi Melinda! I hope you can make them soon – hopefully today! I think you will love them! Thank you!
Jeff says
Jen:
I love this variation on a cookie bar. I’m putting this in the “got to make” file. Thanks for the inspiration.
Jen says
You are so welcome Jeff! This definitely belongs in the “got to make” file- and hopefully that means soon :)! I hope you love them as much as we do!
Christine Jones says
I made these bars yesterday. My husband really enjoyed them. He cut the first one out and after he ate that he cut another one and proceeded to eat that also. This pretty much says it all. He did say they were “really good”. Thanks for sharing all you wonderful recipes. I have enjoyed several and look forward to your emails with new recipes to try. I will continue to pray for your health.
Jen says
Hi Christine, I am so happy these cookie bars were a hit! I actually made them again yesterday also as they are one of my husbands favorites 🙂 Thank you also for your kind words – it means so much to me that you look forward to my emails and are enjoying my recipes! Above all, thank you for your prayers, I know they make a difference ! xo
Lidia Ramirez says
There is not a way to search for any particular recipe you may have seen previously. No search window. I wanted to go back a to a recipe book for diabetics and I can not search for it because there is no search button.
Jen says
Hi Lidia, the search button can be hard to miss. It is located on the sidebar just below the “Follow My Cravings” icon and above the Party Food pretzel pic. Hope that helps!
Jennifer says
Your site is confusing. How do you know where the latest blog posts are?
Jen says
They are always on the right sidebar 🙂
Becca Rose says
My sister said that Sarah made these for their birthday party the other day and she couldn’t stop eating them 🙂 I have to try them…or maybe I shouldn’t – could be dangerous. Thanks!
Jen says
YES, very dangerous! I made them the other day to bring to a friend’s dinner and I was reminded of how good they are – some of our absolute favs! I’m excited for you to try them!
Pia says
These are in the oven right now. I hope they taste as good as they smell. I had a very hard time spreading the dough even though I followed the instructions (dip a spatula in melted butter). I came up with an easy solution. I coated a piece of wax paper with non stick spray and laid it on top of the dough and used my hands to spread out the dough. Worked like a charm.
Thanks for sharing your recipes. I have made so many and have never been let down.
Jen says
Thank you so much for your tip Pia, that is an awesome suggestion and so easy – I am going to add it to the instructions, thank you! I hope you loved these bars! and I love hearing you have been enjoying my other recipes!
Layne says
I only regret making these bc I think I’ve eaten it ALL! I love how it really does taste like a snickerdoodle cookie and I must stop devouring them. Delish!
Jen says
hahahaha! right?! I usually have pretty good self control when it comes to desserts but these OWN ME! So glad you loved these!
LaTrice says
My mouth is watering right now!!! I LOVE snickerdoodles!!!!! 🙂
Jen says
Oh LaTrice, I CANNOT wait for you to try these then – they are seriously SO soft and melt in your mouth – I think you will love them!
Melissa @ Insider The Kitchen says
These are amazing! I made them for snack day at work today. Big hit!
Jen says
Thank you Melissa, I am thrilled they were such a hit, thank you!
Jennifer Markey says
Mine turned out dry. Like a pretty dry coffee cake. 🙁
I subbed buttermilk with yogurt. Do you think that’s why?
Jen says
Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry yours turned out dry but you can’t substitute the buttermilk for yogurt in this recipe as yogurt doesn’t have nearly as much liquid. If you want to make your own buttermilk for this recipe, then whisk 1/4 cup milk with 3/4 teaspoon vinegar and let it 10 minutes. Baked good can also be dry if overcooked.
Khris says
My son loves snickerdoodles so these are on my to do list for tomorrow. Wondering if you have ever added white chocolate chips to the bars and how that turned out.
Jen says
Hi Khris, I have never added white chocolate chips to these bars but I think that would be delicious!
Fern says
Made these a few weeks ago, and they were delicious! Really appreciate the hint on using wax paper and hands to spread in the pan! Without that trick, I might not make them again. Gave some to a friend, and she hoarded them and didn’t offer to share with guests for coffee who commented on how good they looked when they saw them sitting on her kichen counter. LOL. She is a southerner and usually very hospitable, but she wasn’t sharing these bars.
Jen says
I love the story about your friend, these cookies will turn you into another person apparently! I am so happy both you and your friend loved them so much Fern. Thanks for taking the time to to comment 🙂
Debbie Carlson says
I made the Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars today. I too had trouble spreading the dough in the pan, even using the recommended measures, but I finally managed to get it done. They are delicious and so worth that effort. The only thing I’ll change next time is lining the pan with foil instead of parchment. The parchment was part of the nuisance with the dough, kept getting in the way and sliding around. Foil lays down and molds to the pan so it will stay in place and be less trouble.
Jen says
Thanks for the foil tip Debbie I will have to try that next time! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe though, they are so worth it!
Alison B. says
I also used the foil, mainly because I was out of parchment paper. Mainly because I made three batches of cookies. But also my bars are super thick! I honestly thought the dish was going to overflow, & yes I used a 9×13″ They’ve shrunk some since they came out, but still 2 inches thick. Don’t know if I measured something wrong but they took almost 10 extra minutes to cook. Very tasty!!
Jen says
Hi Alison, I’m happy the foil worked for you too! The bars are thick bars – the important thing is that they tasted good – phew! 🙂
Celena says
Hello!
I have to admit, I just made this type of recipe from someone else, and even though it came out tasting good, its very dry! I used 2 eggs, and two sticks of butter like your recipe. I am curious, is the 1/4 c. buttermilk in your recipe the key to keeping it moist? Your recipes is the first one I’ve found that includes this. I’m definitely coming back to your website to try your version!
Jen says
Hi Celena, yes the additional buttermilk as well as the melted butter brushed on top definitely adds moisture – you won’t find these dry at all!
C says
I made this last weekend and they were a big hit! They are moist and cake-y, and I didn’t even use the butter on top of the second layer! I have a tip for spreading the batter that worked VERY well for me – I used plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray, instead of wax paper. I had no trouble at all!
I’ve had a request to make these again this weekend! Thanks for the delicious cookie alternative!
Jen says
Sorry for the delay Cathy as I’m catching up on comments but THANK YOU so much for commenting! I’m honored these snickerdoodle bars were such a hit and already a repeat favorite! Thank you also for the plastic wrap tip – I’ll have to try that next time!
June says
Made these this week and they are delicious! I had a fairly easy time spreading the dough – I used the melted butter trick plus I made a point to put small drops of dough all across the pan before so there was less empty space to try to cover.
I wanted to do something Christmas-y so I used a Speculoos spice blend in place of the cinnamon and eggnog instead of the buttermilk. I think both worked well so I’ll keep playing with this recipe for different seasons.
These needed about 25 min in my oven and stayed moist & tasty for days.
Jen says
Hi June, I’m thrilled you loved these Snickerdoodle Bars and your tricks to turn them festive with eggnog and Speculoos spice blend sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah says
Found your recipe searching for Snickerdoodle bars to take camping. Oh my goodness – these are SO good. I’ve made disappointing snickerdoodle bars in the past – they were flavorless and greasy. These are such a great texture and flavorful because of the layers of cinnamon sugar. I’m so happy to have found your web site – I can’t wait to try a bunch of your recipes. I also love your love story…must be that spirit of love that ends up tasting good in the recipes too!
Jen says
Welcome to my site Sarah! I’m so pleased these snickerdoodle bars were such a huge hit – and what a great treat for camping! Thanks for taking the time to read our love story – love really makes everything (including food!) the best!
Barb says
Hi Jennifer,
I was wondering if I could cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8×8 inch square foil pan? If so, how long would you recommend baking it for?
Thanks,
Barb
Jen says
Yes, you absolutely can. I would start checking it 5 minutes earlier.
Rebecca S says
I can’t find cream of tartar anywhere. So many possible replacements listed on Google, any recommendations on what to use in this delicious sounding snicker doodle bars?
Jen says
Hi Rebecca, I would use the baking powder substitute but that will affect the chewiness and the flavor. Instead, I would purchase cream of tartar on amazon: https://amzn.to/3VAD7Ee Good luck!
Jaci says
Have made these several times in the last month for different occasions and each time they are the first dessert gone and I’m asked for the recipe.
I was actually looking for a bar recipe that made
a 1/2 sheet pan so I made. 2 batches using 1st batch for bottom layer and 2nd batch for top layer. Baking time was the same.if you try this make sure your pan has a 2” rim.
Jen says
I’m so thrilled it’s been such a hit! Glad this worked for the half sheet, very creative!