These chewy snickerdoodle cookie bars are sweet, chewy, and coated in cinnamon and sugar with a touch of salt on top. They're a quick, easy to make bar that everyone loves!
Chewy snickerdoodle cookie bars are the easier bar form of my favorite snickerdoodle cookie's. They've got cinnamon and sugar sprinkled in the bottom pf the pan before the cookie dough, and again along the top to make sure every bite is covered in the sweet stuff.
If you're a cinnamon fan like I am, you would love my Mom's famous cinnamon rolls or my churro cake that is also topped with cinnamon and sugar instead of a frosting.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Cinnamon & Sugar: The combo of cinnamon and sugar all over these bars is so good.
Standard Pantry Ingredients: These cookie bars don't have any specialty ingredients. Everything is the basics that are kept on hand.
Easy to Make: These are even easier to make than actual cookies because you don't have to scoop dough or roll in cinnamon and sugar.
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: I always used salted, but unsalted is fine too.
- Milk: This is used to help the the bars from sinking as much in the middle, and also helps for a softer cookie bar.
- Flour: Make sure you don't compact the flour into your measuring cup. Lightly spoon it in, or weigh it for proper measurements.
- Cream of Tartar: This is an activating ingredient, similar to baking powder that you find in the baking aisle.
- Cinnamon and Sugar: You will sprinkle half the mixture into the bottom of the pan and half on top. No need to measure.
- Flaked Sea Salt: I love salting these to balance the sweetness.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and milk and mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Step 2: Slowly mix in flour, cream of tartar, soda, cinnamon and salt, being careful not to over mix. I usually stop when I still have some flour remnants around the bowl.
Step 3: Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half the mixture into the bottom of the pan on top of the parchment paper. Place cookie dough into pan and smooth out as best you can. The dough is sticky and it won't be perfect, but don't worry. It all works out when it bakes. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and sugar along the top.
Step 4: Bake the bars for 17-20 minutes. You're looking for a nice light golden brown around the edges, but be careful not to over bake, or you will lose the chewy factor we are going for. Sprinkle with flaked salt after you've removed it from the oven if desired. Allow to cool before cutting.
Expert Baking Tips
You can also make this in a round cake pan and serve in small wedges like a cookie cake.
If doubling the recipe, bake in a 9x13 pan and add 3-5 minutes onto baking.
Make sure you do not over bake these bars. You want a light golden brown along the edges, but the center will continue to cook as they sit and cool.
FAQ
The milk helps with both the moisture and the stabilization of the bars. Often times cookie bars will sink in the middle because you don't want to over bake them, and the milk helps keep them from sinking.
Yes, these bars will work great subbed with a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Yes, allowing them to cool will let them finish baking so they are the perfect consistency in the middle.
Storing and Freezing
Snickerdoodle cookie bars can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days. Place in a ziplock bag or store in an airtight container. Do not store the bars in the fridge, it will dry them out.
These bars freeze great. You can store them individually in little bags to take and go, or freeze them all together in one airtight container.
Other Bar Recipes to Try
Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake Bars
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do.
Make sure to leave a star review below!
Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter room temp
- ¾ cups (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon milk room temp
- 1½ cups (228 g) + 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture
- 1½ tablespoon (1.5 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- flaked sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray and line an 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add egg, vanilla and milk and mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Slowly mix in flour, cream of tartar, soda, cinnamon and salt, being careful not to over mix. I usually stop when I still have some flour remnants around the bowl.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half the mixture into the bottom of the pan on top of the parchment paper. Place cookie dough into pan and smooth out as best you can. The dough is sticky and it won't be perfect, but don't worry. It all works out when it bakes. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and sugar along the top.
- Bake the bars for 17-20 minutes. You're looking for a nice light golden brown around the edges, but be careful not to over bake, or you will lose the chewy factor we are going for. Sprinkle with flaked salt after you've removed it from the oven if desired. Allow to cool before cutting.
Cindy
Thank you Brooke for another outstanding recipe. So easy to make and absolutely delicious! Love your site.
Sandy
These are so chewy and so full of the yummy cinnamon and sugar flavor! I also tried them with gluten free flour and they turned out great! Thanks for another great recipe!
Gina
Love the flavor of these! I made them gluten free, and I think that made them a little more cakey than chewy (used King Arthur Measure for Measure for anyone wondering and measured by weight), but the flavor was great and my gf people loved them. I look forward to trying them again without gf flour to get the full experience! Thanks!
TATIANA
I made these today and other than my oven mishap, they came out FANTASTIC! I realized i didn’t have my oven hot enough and took them out per the recommended bake time, turned off the oven and they were still doughy. I was scared that if i put them back in they would be ruined but i did it anyways with the oven off and they ended up cooking PERFECTLY!
Brooke Homec
Yay! I'm glad they ended up working out perfectly. Thank you so much!
Joanne Burns
I baked These for 21 minutes. My oven was totally heated properly. They appeared done. However after cooling down. Realized the dough was undercooked in the middle. I put them back in the oven for 10 more minutes, but it really didn’t help. The recipe says 17 to 20 minutes. which is what I did, so perhaps it should be way longer than that. Is that number correct? Delicious flavor though. I will try again.
Brooke Homec
Although your oven heated properly, everyones ovens and pans are different and so I can only give an estimate based off of my time baked. You may have to bake longer for yours.
Bailey
Chewy, buttery, and sugary sweet! What more could you want?? These might be my new favorite!!
AB
This cookie bar took me by surprise! It is so easy and the texture is absolutely amazing! After 1 bite, I couldn’t stop eating it.