This snickerdoodle cookie bars recipe takes everything you love about the classic cookie and puts it in one pan, no scooping and no rolling dozens of dough balls required! They bake up thick and soft with that signature tangy chew, and the cinnamon-sugar goes right over the top so you get that crackly, sparkly finish across the whole pan. If you want snickerdoodles without spending an afternoon on them, this is the shortcut you need.
I bake a lot. There, I said it. There are nearly 70 dessert recipes on this website (and counting!), and more than 40 of them are either cookie recipes or dessert bars recipes. So when a cookie I already love (I’m looking at you snickerdoodles!) can be made simpler without giving up what makes it good, that is a project I am saying yes to every time.
My mom and I did another round of our crazy cookie testing last week getting ready for the holidays, and snickerdoodle bars were at the top of our list. I made these several times over just a few days and put every version in front of the same ten taste testers. Here is the part that surprised me: the first batch tasted great, but as I was pressing the dough into the pan it felt like there just was not enough of it. They baked up nice with a cookie-like texture, but they were thin, which isn’t what I really wanted for a bar. So for the next round I doubled the recipe and baked it in the same size pan. That is the version you are getting here, and the reviews were something else. One taste tester told me it tasted like cheesecake, in the very best way. A few others said it was one of their favorite things I have ever handed them, and I hand them a lot of things try.
So if you are looking for easy Christmas recipes and want to bake something fun without tackling actual cookies, this one belongs on your list alongside our Christmas m&m cookie bars, chocolate mint squares, and our peppermint bark brownies.
You’ll Love This Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe
Everything you love about snickerdoodle cookies, none of the scooping. Press the dough into one pan, sprinkle, bake. No rolling dough balls, no dipping each in cinnamon-sugar, no batch after batch in and out of the oven.
Thick, soft, and properly chewy. These are made deliberately thick, which is what keeps the centers soft and chewy instead of drying out into something crisp.
That crackly cinnamon-sugar top. The topping goes on before baking, so it sets into a sparkly, slightly crisp layer over the whole pan. Bars get it sprinkled over the top, which is the same idea as the classic cookie but in a fraction of the time!
Made for a holiday cookie tray. These travel well, cut into neat squares, and hold up on a platter alongside everything else.
What Makes a Snickerdoodle a Snickerdoodle?
Two things make a snickerdoodle stand apart: the use of cream of tartar, and cinnamon-sugar. Neither is optional if you want these to taste like a true snickerdoodle.
Cream of tartar is an acid, and it does two things here: it gives the bars that signature snickerdoodle tangy flavor, and it keeps the sugar in the dough from crystallizing, which is a big part of why these stay soft and chewy instead of becoming dry cookie bars. The baking powder is doing a separate job, giving the bars their lift so they puff up rather than baking flat. You need both. Cream of tartar lives in the spice aisle near the baking powder.
The second is the cinnamon-sugar coating. Classic snickerdoodles get rolled in it one dough ball at a time. Bars get it sprinkled over the top before they go in the oven.
For these bars, think of it this way: the cinnamon sugar on top is what makes these look like snickerdoodles, and the cream of tartar is what makes them taste like snickerdoodles.
Ingredients for Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
- Salted butter. Softened, so it creams properly with the sugar. The salt helps to keep the sweetness in check too.
- Granulated sugar. Sweetens the dough and helps create that soft, chewy texture. Additional granulated sugar gets mixed with the cinnamon to be used as the topping too.
- Large Eggs. Acts as a binder in the dough as well as bring a little fat and moisture that keep the center tender rather than dry.
- Vanilla extract. Is a flavor enhancer that rounds out the butter and cinnamon flavors.
- Baking powder. Gives the bars a little lift so they puff up rather than baking flat.
- Cream of tartar. The ingredient that makes a snickerdoodle taste like a snickerdoodle. There is more on this above, but the short version is do not skip it.
- All-purpose flour. The structure of the bars, and what holds them together in neat squares when you cut them. How you measure it matters more than usual here, because this is a thick dough and extra flour has nowhere to hide. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping straight from the bag, which packs it in and can leave you with dry, crumbly bars.
- Ground cinnamon. Mixed with sugar for the topping that goes over the dough before baking.
Head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for all measurements and the full recipe directions.
Helpful Equipment
Use a 9×9 metal baking pan. Metal conducts heat more evenly than glass or ceramic, which matters a lot here because this is a thick bar. In a glass pan the edges run ahead of the middle, and you end up with overdone corners around a center that has not set. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment makes creaming the butter and sugar easy, though a large bowl and a wooden spoon will get you there too. Lining the greased pan with parchment lets you lift the whole slab out and cut clean squares on a cutting board.
How to Make Our Recipe for Snickerdoodle Bars
Preheat and prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 metal baking pan and set aside. Lining the greased pan with parchment paper makes removal much easier later.
Cream the butter and sugar together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon), cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients. Slowly stir in the baking powder, cream of tartar, and flour until a dough forms.
Press the dough into the pan. Press it into an even layer across the prepared pan, making sure it gets pressed into the corners.
Make and add the cinnamon-sugar topping. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the top of the dough.
Bake. Bake until the bars have puffed up and the top is beginning to turn a light golden brown.
Cool in the pan. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before slicing. Then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Snickerdoodle Bar Cookies Variation Ideas
- Make a thinner, more cookie-like bar. This was my first test, and it is genuinely good, just a different experience. Cut every ingredient in half (except the cinnamon-sugar topping, we used about ¾ of it), and press it into the same 9×9 pan. You will get a thinner bar with more of a classic cookie texture. Start checking the bars at the 15-minute mark as they won’t need to bake as long as the full recipe. I pulled mine out of the oven at 18-minutes when baking these the thinner way.
- Add white chocolate chips. Fold a cup into the dough before pressing it into the pan. White chocolate and cinnamon are a great pairing.
- Drizzle with a vanilla glaze. A simple powdered sugar and milk glaze over the cooled bars makes them feel a little more dressed up for a holiday tray.
- Mix in cinnamon chips. If you can find them, cinnamon baking chips double down on the cinnamon flavor and make little pockets of extra fun throughout. We don’t use these often, but go out of our way to find them for our cinnamon scones!
Expert Tips for the Best Snickerdoodle Bars
Use a metal pan. This is the one thing I would not substitute. A thick bar in a glass pan gives you dry edges and an underdone middle.
Do not skip the cream of tartar. It is the whole reason these taste like snickerdoodles rather than cinnamon-sugar cookies.
Check the expiration date on your cream of tartar. This is not an ingredient to use up out of the back of the cabinet. If the jar is past its date, buy a new one before you bake these. Old cream of tartar will not give you the tang or the texture you are after, and it is a frustrating way to lose a whole pan of bars.
Take the time to press the dough evenly. This ensures your bars bake evenly. Slightly damp hands or a piece of parchment over the top can help you press it flat without sticking.
Let them cool completely before slicing. I know. But warm bars do not cut cleanly, and really do need time to finish setting up before enjoying. This may be the hardest part of the whole recipe…
How to Store Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
Store cooled bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. If you are stacking them, put a sheet of parchment or wax paper between the layers so the cinnamon-sugar tops do not stick to the bars above them.
They freeze well too, which makes them a good option for making ahead if you’re looking to get ahead on your holiday baking. Cool the pan completely, then cut into squares and freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for about an hour. Once solid, transfer to a labeled freezer-safe container or bag with parchment between the layers. They will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm one in the microwave in 20 second intervals.
Recipe FAQs for Brookies
The honest answer is nothing that gets you the same result. Cream of tartar is what creates the tang and the chew that make a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle, and substitutes change both the flavor and the texture. If you cannot find it locally, it is easy to order, and one jar will last you through a lot of baking.
Probably the pan size. This recipe is written for a 9×9, and it is a generous amount of dough on purpose. If you spread it into a 9×13 you will get a much thinner bar, closer to a cookie than a bar. I tested it both ways, and the thicker version is the one everybody preferred.
No, just press it right into the prepared pan after mixing up the dough and bake it. Since the dough is contained in a pan, you don’t have to worry about it spreading out flat like you might when baking cookies on a baking sheet, so need to chill to stiffen the dough before baking.
Yes, and they hold up well. Bake them a day or two in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze them further ahead and thaw the morning of. The cinnamon-sugar top stays crackly.
Love This Recipe? Be Sure to Try One of These Easy Dessert Bars Recipes Next!
Oh hey, did you make this one? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Cinnamon Sugar Snickerdoodle Bars
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment -OR- Large Bowl + Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Dough
- 1 Cup salted butter, softened
- 1 + ½ Cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 + ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 2 + ½ Cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
- 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 metal baking pan and set aside. *Tip: adding parchment paper to the greased pan makes removal much easier if you plan to pull these out to cut and put on a cookie tray.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon), cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.1 Cup salted butter, softened1 + ½ Cup granulated sugar
- Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix until combined.2 large eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until a dough forms.1 teaspoon baking powder1 + ½ teaspoons cream of tartar2 + ½ Cups all-purpose flour
- Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. The dough is thick, so take a minute to work it all the way into the corners.
- In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the dough.4 Tablespoons granulated sugar1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the bars have puffed up and the top is beginning to turn light golden brown.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan before slicing.
- Cut into 16 squares and enjoy.
Notes
- Make a thinner, more cookie-like bar. This was my first test, and it is genuinely good, just a different experience. Cut every ingredient in half (except the cinnamon-sugar topping, we used about ¾ of it), and press it into the same 9×9 pan. You will get a thinner bar with more of a classic cookie texture. Check the oven around the 15 minute mark (mine took 18 minutes when I made the thinner versions)
- Add white chocolate chips. Fold a cup into the dough before pressing it into the pan. White chocolate and cinnamon are a great pairing.
- Drizzle with a vanilla glaze. A simple powdered sugar and milk glaze over the cooled bars makes them feel a little more dressed up for a holiday tray.
- Mix in cinnamon chips. If you can find them, cinnamon baking chips double down on the cinnamon flavor and make little pockets of extra fun throughout.
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