Chewy Snickerdoodle Bars

I didn’t grow up eating Snickerdoodles. In fact, the first time I ever tried one was in my twenties; a colleague had made them for a work meeting, and I was instantly smitten with their crackly, spiced tops and chewy centers. The most traditional recipes use shortening in the dough and of course, cream of tartar, which gives them their “tangy” flavor. My cookie version of the recipe (found in my cookbook 100 Cookies) is what I make every year around the holidays, but this year I decided to shake things up and bake them in bar form.

I am happy to report that snickerdoodle bars are delicious, and I just might prefer them over the traditional cookie.

I have tweaked my original recipe a bit – there is a little less butter, and I’ve added a pinch of nutmeg to the dough which really adds a lot of good flavor. Traditional snickerdoodle recipes call for shortening, and I’ve kept a little in the recipe to help keep the integrity of the cookie texture. The shortening helps with thickness, and helps keep the bars tender.

Baking them in a square pan also saves quite a bit of time, and adds variety to a cookie platter with their square shape. (I am of the firm opinion that bars are just cookies in square form, but I know not everyone agrees with me on this).

My tips for making this recipe:

• Make sure to beat the butter and sugar together as directed, and make sure both ingredients are well combined. It is also important to have the butter at the temperature the recipe calls for.
• After I am done mixing the dough in a stand mixer, I always take a spatula and give the dough a final mix, making sure that it is perfectly combined and there are no streaks of butter or pockets of flour.
• Weighing your ingredients will get you the best results! Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142 grams.
• Remember that baking times are guidelines, not facts. Every oven is very different, most are running too hot or slightly cool. An oven thermometer is a good tool to check if your oven is heating properly.

Chewy Snickerdoodle Bars

Servings: 12 bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

These easy to make snickerdoodle bars are thick and soft with a chewy center. They're dusted with a cinnamon sugar, which creates a beautiful crackled top.

Sarah Kieffer

4.91 from 10 votes

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Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups [320 g] all-purpose flour*
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons [114 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons [36 g] shortening
• 1 1/2 cups [300 g] granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sugar coating

• 1/4 cup [50 g] granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Equipment

• 9×9 inch square pan

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line a 9 by 9 in [23 by 23 cm] square baking pan with a parchment sling.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the butter and shortening together on medium until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar, salt, and nutmeg and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat again on low speed until combined.
• Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the topping together in a small bowl.
• Pat the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the sugar topping evenly over the dough.
• Bake the bars for 16 to 20 minutes, until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out just clean (see notes).
• Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Use the parchment sling to remove the bars from the pan, then cut into pieces and serve. Bars can be store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes

*I pulled the bars when the toothpick came out clean, and thought they were great. My kids like them a little “gooeyier”, and prefer the bars to have the slightest bit of crumb on the toothpick instead. 

*I like a hefty sprinkle of sugar on the top of this cake, but you can put less on if desired. 

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement.

Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast.