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    Home

    Snickerdoodle Bars with Cinnamon Icing

    November 11, 2022 by stylesweet 9 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These Snickerdoodle Bars are everything you love about the classic cinnamon and sugar cookie. Baked in a sheet pan instead of individual cookie balls, these cookie bars are frosted with cinnamon icing before being sliced and served.

    Cut up snickerdoodle cookie bars with icing on top

    Snickerdoodles are known for their chewy centers and cinnamon-sugar topping. Baked in a 9 X 13-inch pan instead of being rolled, these snickerdoodle bars get a shower of cinnamon-sugar before heading into the oven.

    How to Make Snickerdoodle Bars

    • Preheat the oven - Set the oven to 350F and prepare the cake pan.
    • Make the cookie dough - Use a hand or stand electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla followed by the dry ingredients.
    • Press the dough in the pan until even - The dough will be thick and sticky. Use an offset spatula to spread it in the pan into an even layer before baking.
    • Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the dough
    • Bake and cool - When done, the edges should be set but the center still soft.
    • Make the cinnamon icing - Whip up the ingredients until fluffy and creamy.
    • Spread on the icing and sprinkle with cinnamon - Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread and swirl the icing on top of the cooled cookie bars.

    Hint: Grease and line the baking pan with parchment paper so that you can lift the cookies out of the pan before slicing.

    Top tip

    The dough will be thick and sticky. Use an offset spatula to spread it in the pan into an even layer before baking.

    Whether you are an edge or center person, you are going to love these cookies bars. The edges are crisp while the centers will melt in your mouth.

    Baking the cookies as bars makes things so much faster. Instead of rolling individual cookie balls then tossing them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, press the dough into the pan and bake.

    You can eat these plain (trust me, I had a whole batch this way!) or frost them with cinnamon icing for a levelled-up snickerdoodle bar

    A few sliced cookie bars with cinnamon icing on top

    Ingredients for Snickerdoodles

    Here is a quick glance at some of the ingredients needed beyond basic pantry staples. 

    • Unsalted butter
    • Granulated sugar
    • Light brown sugar
    • Eggs
    • All-purpose flour
    • Cream of tartar
    • Cinnamon
    • Confectioners' sugar

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Tools and Equipment

    These are the primary tools you will need to bake these cookie bars:

    • Mixing bowls
    • Hand or stand mixer
    • 9 by 13-inch pan
    • Parchment paper
    • Offset spatula
    • General kitchen tools (measuring spoons, cups, etc).
    Snickerdoodle cookie bars with frosting on a plate

    Substitutions

    Don't have all of the ingredients? Here's what to do:

    • Ground cinnamon - instead of cinnamon, try a different spice! Use equal amounts of pumpkin pie spice or cardamom. 
    • Cream of tartar - if you don't have cream of tartar, reduce the baking soda to ¼ teaspoon and add ½ teaspoon baking powder. 
    • Granulated sugar - use an equal amount of granulated sugar in place of the light brown sugar.

    Recipe FAQs

    Do I have to use cream of tartar?

    You can bake cookies without cream of tartar but they will be missing than signature tang of snickerdoodles. See substitutions above.

    Can I freeze snickerdoodle bars?

    You can freeze unfrosted snickerdoodle bars. Wrap cooled cookies bars in plastic and freeze for up to three months.

    What other pans can I bake snickerdoodle bars?

    You may cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 X 8-inch square pan. Check for doneness around 16 minutes.

    An overhead of sliced snickerdoodle bars with swirls of frosting and sprinkles of cinnamon

    Storage

    Store the frosted cookie bars in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

    Unfrosted snickerdoodle bars may be frozen. Wrap the cookie bars in plastic then slip into a zip-top bag. Cookie bars can be frozen for up the three months.

    Pumpkin Coffee Cream Cheese Cake

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    More Cookies to Bake:

    Pecan Snickerdoodles

    Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches

    Chocolate Madeleines

    Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

    Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

    Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

    Please leave a star review if you loved this recipe! Make sure to share your recipes and tag me on Instagram @stylesweetdaily. 

    Recipe

    A few sliced cookie bars with cinnamon icing on top
    Print Recipe
    5 from 6 votes

    Snickerdoodle Bars

    These snickerdoodle bars are soft and chewy with a creamy cinnamon icing on top.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Cool Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: apple cinnamon cake, carrot cake frosting, christmas, cookie bars, easy baking recipe, holiday baking, snickerdoodle bars
    Servings: 18

    Ingredients

    For the Cookie Dough

    • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ⅔ cup light brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teas vanilla extract
    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons cream of tartar
    • 1 teas baking soda
    • ½ teas salt

    For the Topping

    • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

    For the Cinnamon Icing

    • ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
    • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon plus more for sprinkling

    Instructions

    To Make the Cookie Bars

    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line the sides and bottom of a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
    • In a bowl with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), mix the butter until creamy. Add the granulated and light brown sugar and mix until fluffy and combined.
    • With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
    • Sift in the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until the flour begins to incorporate. Switch to a rubber spatula when the dough gets too thick.
    • Tip the dough into the prepared pan and begin to smoosh and spread it out. Use an offset spatula to spread until even.
    • In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the cookie dough.
    • Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. When done, the edges should be set but the center still soft.
    • Cool the cookie bars in their pan over a wire rack before frosting.

    To Make the Cinnamon Icing

    • Place the butter in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer (or in stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until creamy.
    • Add the confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix on low until incorporated.
    • Turn the mixer up to medium and mix until smooth and fluffy.
    • Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread and swirl the icing on top of the cooled cookie bars.
    • Sprinkle with cinnamon and slice into 18 bars before serving.

    Notes

    Store the frosted cookie bars in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
    Unfrosted snickerdoodle bars may be frozen. Wrap the cookie bars in plastic then slip into a zip-top bag. Cookie bars can be frozen for up the three months.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alison

      November 15, 2022 at 3:21 pm

      5 stars
      These are so tasty! My family finished them all in one night!!!

      Reply
    2. Ian Kappos

      November 15, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      5 stars
      I made these over the weekend and they were a huge hit! I'll probably make them for Thanksgiving too

      Reply
    3. Andre

      November 15, 2022 at 7:56 pm

      5 stars
      The texture came out perfectly and I just LOVE the cinnamon frosting

      Reply
    4. Sherri

      November 24, 2022 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      My coworkers were very happy to be my Thanksgiving taste testers with these! Several of them might have died and gone to heaven eating them so Thanksgiving dessert here we come! Oh and they were requested for the work potluck on Friday and Saturday too. Absolutely fabulous dessert

      Reply
      • stylesweet

        November 24, 2022 at 7:39 pm

        Hi! Thank you so much! I am thrilled that you all enjoyed the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!

        Reply
    5. Sonya

      October 02, 2023 at 4:09 pm

      5 stars
      I know these are kind of Christmas-y, but I like to make them all year long. The perfect texture every time!

      Reply
    6. Gianna

      November 01, 2023 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      These are my number one request to make again this Christmas! I made them both frosted and plain and they are so good both ways. But also, frosting - who can turn that down?

      Reply
    7. Jen

      August 05, 2024 at 2:11 pm

      These are fantastic! The icing is delicious and this recipe makes a really good amount of it. You actually don't even need the icing because the snickerdoodle bars are absolutely delicious on their own. I did a test run with this recipe, in order to use for the holidays, and so glad I did.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches - Style Sweet says:
      December 1, 2022 at 6:32 pm

      […] Snickerdoodle Bars […]

      Reply

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    Tessa Huff

    Hi, I'm Tessa Huff! I am the cookbook author of Layered and Icing on the Cake. I bake, develop recipes, and photograph food from my home studio in North Vancouver, BC.

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