If you love a good snickerdoodle but you want the ease of a cookie bar, this is the recipe for you! These delicious bars are light, delicious, and loaded with cinnamon flavor.
Where Does the Classic Snickerdoodle Cookie Get Its Name?
Have you ever wondered where Snickerdoodles get their funny name? (Me too!) I did a bit of research and here’s what I learned: no one knows for sure.
Some people say the name is of German or Dutch descent, because there are other cookies with similar sounding names. The German term “Schneckennudeln” refers to a sweet, cinnamon-flavored pastry. So. . .maybe!
Another thought is that the name “snickerdoodle” is nothing more than a whimsical creation, possibly coming from a combination of words. No one really knows for sure. But this cookie is charming and quirky. . .and delicious!
The Key Flavors of Snickerdoodles
Traditionally, Snickerdoodles are cinnamon-sugar coated sugar cookies with a soft and chewy texture.
My personal Snickerdoodle recipe is beyond delicious! And, unlike this version, has no butter. (That recipe has shortening, which gives my cookies a light, fluffy texture.)
These bars, though? They’re loaded with butter. And if you like the flavor, you can thank my daughter, Megan, who sent me the recipe several days back. Someone at her workplace had made them and she fell in love.
There are a ton of recipes online for these bars, but I’ve kind of made up my own version, which calls for salted butter. If you don’t have salted butter on hand, that’s okay! Just add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe. Add it in with the flour.
Enough teasing! Are you ready to see this recipe? Great! Let’s go!
Chewy Snickerdoodle Bars Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you will need. These are such simple ingredients, y’all. You probably already have them on hand in your pantry and refrigerator.
Crust Ingredients:
- salted butter, room temperature
- granulated sugar
- packed light brown sugar
- large eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour (plus more for sprinkling)
Note: If you only have unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the recipe.
Topping Ingredients
- granulated sugar
- ground cinnamon
How to Make Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
This is such a simple recipe. I can’t believe I haven’t made it before.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prep your 9×13-inch pan. Spray with nonstick spray and place a piece of parchment paper down inside, as you see in the photo. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Note: Some recipes call for a 10 x 15” sheet pan but I didn’t have one in that size.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter for 2 – 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add both sugars and continue to beat until light in color.
Add vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well.
The dough might look a little broken at this point but that’s fine!
Add dry ingredients (flour and salt, if you’re working with unsalted butter.)
Mix well and then dump the dough into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle with flour and press down with your hands. If you need to add a little more flour to keep your hands from sticking, you can do so, but don’t add too much flour because you don’t want a tough sugar cookie base. Press into an even layer.
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the bars.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes if you’ve used a larger (10 x 15-inch pan) or up to 30 minutes if you’re using a 9 x 13-inch pan. Cook until golden brown.
Remove and place pan on wire rack to cool. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes or until you can handle the parchment paper.
Lift the bars from the pan and place on clean countertop.
Cut into squares.
Serve and enjoy these easy cookie bars!
Store in airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. These easy snickerdoodle bars should stay good for 4 – 5 days.
What to Expect from these Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
This is such an easy recipe, y’all!
If you love soft and dreamy Snickerdoodles you’re going to love these bars. They’ve got the same flavors you have grown to love in the cookie version but these are so much easier to make. No scooping necessary!
I absolutely love the combination of sugar and cinnamon but the real star of the show with these bars is the crust. It’s got the loveliest texture you can imagine!
If you want a crispier bar, cook them five minutes longer. I personally loved the soft chewy texture. Perfection!
Variations on this Recipe
I’m so excited about this recipe and I’m already thinking of ways to change it up next time. (I love taking recipes and tweaking them.)
Cream Cheese Frosting: Spread with cream cheese frosting after baking for a delicious creamy flavor.
Brown sugar instead of granulated: If you want a real depth of flavor, use brown sugar and cinnamon on top instead of white sugar. Yum.
Pecans: If you use brown sugar in your topping, consider sprinkling the bars with finely chopped pecans before placing in the oven.
Apple Pie Spice: You can add a half teaspoon of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice to the cinnamon to give these bars an autumn flavor.
Drizzled caramel: You can drizzle caramel on top of these bars before cutting and serving. Delicious!
Maple Extract: Wanting a warm, rich flavor? Add maple extract or drizzle with maple syrup. (Yum!)
Other Bars from Out of the Box Baking
If you love cookie bars, we’ve got you covered here at Out of the Box. Enjoy the following fan favorites!
Cranberry White Chocolate Bars: If you’re in the mood for a while chocolate bar loaded with cranberries and coconut, this is the post for you. You’re going to love this simple recipe!
Easy Almond Joy Bars: If you love the rich chocolate and coconut flavors of an Almond Joy bar, have I got a treat for you! In this post I’m going to show you how to make a sweet treat with those same flavors. . .and it all starts with a box of cake mix!
Luscious Lemon Blueberry Bars: If you love the combination of flavors in a lemon blueberry breakfast cake but you’re looking for the ease of a bar, this is the recipe for you! These amazing lemon blueberry squares are packed with citrus and berry flavor and best of all, they start with a box of cake mix!
Simple German Chocolate Bars: If you love a delicious German chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting, have I got a treat for you! These bars come together quickly, taste amazing, and best of all. . .they start with a box of cake mix!
Easy Carrot Cake Bars: If you love the flavor of carrot cake but the ease of a bar, have I got a treat for you. These luscious carrot cake bars come together in no time. And best of all, they start with a box of cake mix!
My friends over at Back to my Southern Roots have a great recipe for Snickerdoodles, too. Check it out!
That’s it for this post, friends!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious snickerdoodle bar recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
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Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
If you love a good snickerdoodle but you want the ease of a cookie bar, this is the recipe for you! These delicious bars are light, delicious, and loaded with cinnamon flavor.
Ingredients
- Crust Ingredients:
- 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for sprinkling)
- Note: If you only have unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the recipe.
- Topping Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream butter for 2 - 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add both sugars and continue to beat until light in color.
- Add vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well.
- The dough might look a little broken at this point but that’s fine!
- Add flour. (If you’re working with unsalted butter, add the salt now.)
- Mix well and then dump the dough into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle with flour and press down with your hands. If you need to add a little more flour to keep your hands from sticking, you can do so, but use flour sparingly. You don’t want a tough dough. Press into an even layer.
- Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes if you’ve used a larger (10 x 15-inch pan) or up to 30 minutes if you’re using a 9 x 13-inch pan. Cook until golden brown.
- Remove and place pan on wire rack to cool.
- Allow to cool for about 30 minutes or until you can handle the parchment paper.
- Lift the bars from the pan and place on clean countertop.
- Cut into squares.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store in airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. These bars should stay good for 4 - 5 days.