Snickerdoodle bars are soft and chewy, sweet and slightly tangy, cinnamon sugar coated snickerdoodle cookies made into wonderfully easy to make cookie bars. These snickerdoodle cookie bars are no chill, require no rolling and are the perfect dessert to feed a crowd. Make these cinnamon sugar bar cookies the next time you want a pan full of cozy and flavorful cookies.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I love a wonderfully delicious snickerdoodle cookie. There’s something very iconic about these soft and fluffy, slightly tangy cinnamon sugar coated cookies. My Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar and Chai Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie are just a couple of my favorite snickerdoodle recipes from the blog. This easy snickerdoodle bars recipe is a fantastic addition to my growing collection of no chill bar cookie recipes. I know you’ll love it because:
- They are quick, easy and no chill. All you need to do is bring the butter and eggs to room temperature, make the snickerdoodle cookie dough, press the dough into the prepared 9 x 13 pan, top with cinnamon sugar and bake!
- You love a simple cookie recipe using pantry basics. This recipe for snickerdoodle bars uses 10 simple pantry ingredients to make the best snickerdoodle cookie bars ever. Just make sure you have cream of tartar on hand to get the signature classic background tang snickerdoodles are known for.
- You love soft, chewy, buttery cinnamon sugar cookies, but you don’t feel like scooping and rolling. This snickerdoodle bars recipe is full of the same flavors and textures of the classic snickerdoodle cookie, but are so must faster to make!
Ingredients
These simple cinnamon cookie bars require only a handful of pantry basics to make. Here’s what you’ll need to make these easy bar cookies.
Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt
Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon sugar.
Substitutions
These chewy snickerdoodle cookie bars are quick and easy to make. Here are my recommended substitutions for this recipe if you need them.
- All Purpose Flour: Make these soft snickerdoodles gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure by weight versus cups.
- Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda: These act as leaveners, as well as give these cookie bars their signature chewiness and background tanginess. If you do not have cream of tartar and baking soda, I recommend substituting both with 2 teaspoons baking powder. Keep in mind that the bars will taste more like cinnamon sugar cookie bars rather than snickerdoodle cookie bars.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Granulated and Light Brown Sugars: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars such as maple or coconut. To make this recipe without brown sugar, simply substitute the brown sugar with an equal amount of granulated sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: Adding vanilla to any cookie instantly makes it taste more complex and flavorful. Omit if you don’t have this already.
- Cinnamon Sugar: This is a classic ingredient in snickerdoodle cookies. Therefore, it’s the perfect way to top these snickerdoodle cookie bars. A fun flavor twist on this simple snickerdoodle recipe is to use the same amount of pumpkin or apple pie spice in place of the ground cinnamon.
How To Make
Learn how to make snickerdoodle bars in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and two long sides of a 13 x 9 pan. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together until well combined. In another mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the granulated and light brown sugars together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- With the mixer on low or by hand, mix in the dry ingredients until JUST combined. I like to do this ¼ of the dry ingredients at a time.
- Drop even spoonfuls of snickerdoodle cookie dough into the prepared baking pan. Using a spoon, flexible spatula or offset icing spatula, smooth the cookie dough until it is in one even layer in the pan. Top the cookie dough with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the snickerdoodle bars for about 20 - 25 minutes. The edges will be set, lightly golden brown and slightly puffed up. Cool the snickerdoodle bar cookies in the hot pan for 25 - 30 minutes. When the cookies have cooled long enough to transfer out of the pan without breaking, use the excess parchment paper on the long sides of the pan and gently lift the cookie bars out of the pan and to cool on a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy!
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 - 4 days.
- Make Ahead: Although this simple snickerdoodle recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookie dough according to the recipe directions, but rather than spreading the dough into the prepared pan, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 1 -2 days. When it’s time to bake, bring the dough to room temperature while the oven preheats, spread the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan and bake as written in the recipe directions.
- Freeze And Thaw: Wrap the baked and fully cooled snickerdoodle cookie bars in plastic wrap and foil or store in an airtight and freezer proof container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove from the freezer to thaw at room temperature for a few hours.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the dough to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie bars.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: For cookies bars that are soft and chewy for days, the secret is to slightly underbake them. The snickerdoodle bars will continue to “bake” while in the hot pan.
- Different Pan Sizes: Cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8 pan.
FAQs
The most noticeable thing cream of tartar does in a snickerdoodle cookie is give them their signature tangy taste. You can also thank cream of tartar for giving snickerdoodles their chewy and puffy texture.
The name “snickerdoodle cookie” is believed to be a derivation of a German word for “crinkly noodle” or “snail.” Although the name has roots in the German language, this beloved American cookie is believed to have originated in New England.
A snickerdoodle cookie is known for it’s soft, fluffy texture and the signature tangy background flavor of the cream of tartar. Other flavor notes are more like a vanilla sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar.
Other Cookie Bar Recipes to Try
If you try this Snickerdoodle Bars recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 9 x 13 pan
- 1 parchment paper
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Bars
- 2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar
- 3 tablepsoons (38 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Lightly grease and line the bottom and two long sides of a 13 x 9 pan.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together until well combined.2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the granulated and light brown sugars together until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs (US), room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- With the mixer on low or by hand, mix in the dry ingredients until JUST combined. I like to do this ¼ of the dry ingredients at a time.
- Drop even spoonfuls of snickerdoodle cookie dough into the prepared baking pan. Using a spoon, flexible spatula or offset icing spatula, smooth the cookie dough until it is in one even layer in the pan.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together until well combined. Top the cookie dough with the cinnamon sugar.3 tablepsoons (38 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Bake the snickerdoodle bars for about 20 - 25 minutes. The edges will be set, lightly golden brown and slightly puffed up.
- Cool the snickerdoodle bar cookies in the hot pan for 25 - 30 minutes. When the cookies have cooled long enough to transfer out of the pan without breaking, use the excess parchment paper on the long sides of the pan and gently lift the cookie bars out of the pan and to cool on a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy!
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