Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

These chewy Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars are topped with a sweet cinnamon-sugar topping and baked to golden perfection—an irresistible twist on a classic favorite. The melt-in-your mouth texture, along with the sweet and spicy cinnamon sugar sprinkle, makes these cookie bars the perfect sweet treat for kids of all ages.

Ingredients to Make Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars Recipe

Snickerdoodle cookies have been a lifelong personal favorite of mine. I wanted to create a cookie bar version for ease of preparation. You’ll note that classic snickerdoodle cookies are typically rolled in a cinnamon sugar combination before baking, but for these bars the sweet mixture is sprinkled on top. Ingredients you’ll need to make Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Flour – All purpose flour form the base of the cookie dough.
• Leavening – Cream of tarter and baking soda give lift and texture to the dough.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar (white sugar) and powdered sugar for sweetness.
• Seasoning – A pinch of ground nutmeg adds a hint of spice to the flavor.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted butter adds richness.
• Whole Eggs – Large eggs bring the dry ingredients together.
• Flavoring – Vanilla extract adds creamy floral notes.
• Cinnamon Sugar Topping – Granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.

How to Make the BEST Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars Recipe

• Heat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Liberally spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or baking spray. Set aside.
• Sift Dry Ingredients: Use a whisk to sift together flour, cream of tarter, baking soda salt and nutmeg.
• Creamed Ingredients: Using an electric mixer on medium high speed cream together granulated sugar, powdered sugar and butter with vanilla for 2 minutes or until fully combined.
• Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. You should always take the time to stop and scrape the bowl occasionally to make sure all of the ingredients incorporate.
• Combine: Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the sifted dry ingredients. After all has been added, increase to medium-high beating just until fully incorporated.
• Transfer to Prepared Pan: Press the cookie dough in an even layer in the prepared pan.
• Make the Topping: In a small bowl, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top of the bars.
• Oven: Bake per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the center shows moist crumbs.
• Cool and Serve: Cool in the pan on a cooling rack then slice and enjoy.

Tips for Making Snickerdoodle Bars

• Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need: Large bowl, medium bowl, whisk, measuring cups and measuring spoons, stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand mixer, whisk, 13×9-inch baking pan or baking dish. You can use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
• Adjust the Amount of Cinnamon to Taste: When making the topping begin with two teaspoons of cinnamon and taste. Add more to your taste.
• Use a Toothpick to Check for Doneness: Test the center of the cookie bars with a toothpick before removing them from the oven. You should see moist crumbs.
• How to Serve: Serve these snickerdoodle bars with a cup of hot tea, coffee or cold milk. Add them to your Christmas and Thanksgiving sweets or anytime of year when sweet and spicy desserts are on the menu

Recipe Variations

• Sugar: In developing this recipe, I chose to use a combination of granulated and powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) for the dough. Combining the two lends a tender crumb to the finished product. The powdered sugar gives a melt-in-your-mouth texture to the cookies bars that makes them irresistible. You could use all granulated sugar, in a pinch.
• Adjust the Cinnamon: When mixing the cinnamon sugar topping start with 2 teaspoons and taste. Use as is or add more cinnamon to your taste.
• Flour: You could adapt this recipe using gluten free flour.
• Sugar: This recipe works best using white sugar. Brown sugar would give it more of a molasses flavor.
• Line the Pan with Parchment Paper: If you’d like to be able to remove the chewy snickerdoodle bars from the pan for slicing, line the pan with parchment paper first. Leave a 2-inch overhang to form handles to life the bars from the pan in one fell swoop.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers: Store Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars in an airtight container at room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Separate layers with parchment paper or wax paper.
• Freezer: You can freeze these cookie bars for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy.

More Cookie Bar Recipes to Make

• Bodacious Butterfinger Bars are buttery and rich.
• Easy Cherry Pie Crumb Bars begin with a cake mix.
• Loaded Turtle Cookie Bars drizzled with warm chocolate.
• Hello Dolly Bars are impossible to resist.
• Praline Pecan Bars are ideal for holidays, picnics and tea parties.
• Pineapple Coconut Chess Bars melt in your mouth.
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Bars are delicious served while the chocolate is still warm.
• Crème Brulee Cookie Bars from Crazy for Crust.

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Helpful Kitchen Items: 

• Stand Mixer
• Cooling Racks
• Measuring Set
• 13×9-inch Pan