One of the most American of cookies is the Snickerdoodle, sweet buttery balls of dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. Get to the eating all the quicker with this delicious Snickerdoodle Bars recipe. These easy Snickerdoodle Bars taste just as good as the classic without the work!
Serve these Snickerdoodle Bars alongside other Nut-free Cookies for a fun dessert that everyone can enjoy or as part of a Dessert Charcuterie Board.
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Sometimes happy accidents occur. I never set out to create a Snickerdoodle cookie bars recipe; it just happened…
…when I forgot to add milk to my Cinnamon Streusel Coffeecake. Oops! The result, however, was worth repeating. These Snickerdoodle Bars cookies are a fantastic addition to your cookie plate, right next to the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Why Make This Recipe
It’s easy. If you love snickerdoodle cookies, but don’t want to spend the time rolling each dough ball in cinnamon sugar, take the short cut by baking the dough into bars, crowned with a cinnamon sugar topping.
It’s delicious! I love chocolate chip cookies as much as anyone, but sometimes the occasion calls for a snickerdoodle. This recipe is a quick and easy way to suit that occasion.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these Snickerdoodle Bars.
For the dough
granulated sugar – You can also use brown sugar, if that’s what you have, but white sugar is good for this.
neutral oil – I like to use avocado oil in baking, but you can also use vegetable, sunflower, or canola oils or even melted butter.
egg – You just need one egg for these Snickerdoodle Bars. You can also use flaxseed egg substitute if you’ve run out of eggs.
vanilla extract – The cheapest vanilla extract is homemade. Try it sometime to see how it pencils out for you
unbleached, all-purpose flour – You can also use regular, all-purpose flour as well as whole wheat pastry flour, or even a gluten-free baking mix. If you use the latter, you may want to dial down the sugar just a tad. These Snickerdoodle Bars are fairly sweet.
leavening – You’ll need both baking powder and salt. Remember you can use a baking substitution for the baking powder if needed. Unlike traditional Snickerdoodles, you won’t need cream of tartar.
spices – You’ll need both ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Or you can substitute pumpkin pie or apple pie spice.
For the cinnamon sugar topping
You’ll need more flour and cinnamon as well as
light brown sugar – Remember you can make brown sugar in case you run out.
melted butter – This adds a nice buttery crunch to the topping.
Variations:
- For deluxe Snickerdoodle Bars: top the bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.
- For vegan bars: use plant-based oil and butter as well as the flaxseed meal egg substitute.
- For gluten-free bars: use a gluten-free baking mix, like Bob’s Red Mill, and dial down the sugar by a few tablespoons.
Step-by-Step Instructions
These Snickerdoodle Bars are super simple to make!
Preheat the oven to 350 °. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Mix in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend just until mixed.
In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients.
Spread into the prepared pan. The dough will be fairly thick and appear a little greasy. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar topping over the batter.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp. Allow the dish to set for about 10 minutes before removing the entire piece, holding onto the edges of the parchment, and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Slice into squares and serve. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
To freeze: Layer the squares between pieces of parchment in an airtight container or wrap each individually in plastic wrap and place in a ziptop freezer bag.
FAQs
According to the Food Lover’s Companion, a snickerdoodle is a crackly-surfaced cookie that contains nutmeg and cinnamon as well as raisins and nuts. They are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before being baked.
It’s a cinnamon cookie at the heart. While there are other ingredients that add to its flavor, cinnamon reigns in these cookies.
Bar cookies are great for freezing. Bake, cool completely on a wire rack, and then cut into squares. You can layer the squares between pieces of parchment in an airtight container or wrap each individually in plastic wrap and place in a ziptop freezer bag.
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Easy Snickerdoodle Bars
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- large mixing bowl
- small mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
- fork
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup neutral oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping:
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Mix in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend just until mixed. Spread into the prepared pan. The dough will be fairly thick and appear a little greasy.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle them over the batter.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crisp. Allow the dish to set for about 10 minutes before removing the entire piece, holding onto the edges of the parchment, and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely. Slice into squares and serve. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
Variations:
- For deluxe Snickerdoodle Bars: top the bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.
- For vegan bars: use plant-based oil and butter as well as the flaxseed meal egg substitute.
- For gluten-free bars: use a gluten-free baking mix, like Bob’s Red Mill, and dial down the sugar by a few tablespoons.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on February 02, 2012. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Brooke Kingston
So easy, so affordable, so delicious! These are a family favorite and they pack so well for school lunches! Fantastic recipe, Jessica…thank you!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I’m so glad you like them!