Easy Snickerdoodle Blondies: The Ultimate Chewy Cinnamon Sugar Bar Recipe
Imagine your favorite classic snickerdoodle cookie – soft, wonderfully chewy, and coated in a delightful cinnamon-sugar blend. Now, imagine all that irresistible flavor and texture, but in a much simpler, bar form! These **Snickerdoodle Blondies** are exactly that: a dreamy dessert that delivers on all the nostalgic goodness of snickerdoodles, without any of the fuss. Forget about chilling dough or laboriously rolling individual cookies; simply mix, spread, bake, and enjoy!
The beauty of these **Snickerdoodle Bars** lies in their effortless preparation. They are incredibly soft, marvelously chewy, and boast that signature tangy flavor that makes classic snickerdoodles so addictive. Because the dough bakes as a single slab in a pan, you save precious time by skipping the chilling and shaping steps entirely. Instead of rolling each cookie ball in cinnamon sugar, you generously sprinkle a beautiful cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the entire pan of blondies before baking, creating a stunning and flavorful crust.
These versatile cookie bars are an absolute lifesaver when you’re pressed for time but still crave a homemade dessert that feels special. Their ease of transport also makes them a perfect candidate for any gathering. Whether you’re heading to a picnic, a potluck, or simply taking a treat to a friend, these **easy Snickerdoodle Blondies** travel much better in their pan than a delicate plate of individual cookies ever would. They stay protected, fresh, and ready to be sliced and shared upon arrival, making them a consistently popular choice.
Preparing these blondies is a straightforward process, making them suitable for bakers of all skill levels. From gathering the ingredients to the final bake, you’ll find yourself with a pan of warm, fragrant, and utterly delicious treats in under an hour. Get ready to impress everyone with these delightful, chewy, and perfectly spiced **Snickerdoodle Blondies**!
Recipe Ingredients for Perfect Snickerdoodle Blondies
These **Snickerdoodle Blondies** rely on a harmonious blend of common pantry staples, much like their classic cookie counterparts. Using high-quality ingredients will always yield the best results, ensuring your bars are packed with flavor. Here’s a detailed look at the ingredients you’ll need and why each one is important for achieving that signature snickerdoodle taste and texture:
- Butter: For consistent results, I always recommend using unsalted butter. This gives you complete control over the salt content in your recipe. If salted butter is all you have, simply reduce or omit the additional salt listed in the recipe. Make sure it’s melted and slightly cooled, as this contributes to the chewy texture we’re aiming for.
- Sugar: This recipe uses a delightful combination of both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Granulated sugar provides sweetness and helps with the crisp edges, while brown sugar adds depth of flavor, extra moisture, and contributes significantly to the blondies’ wonderfully chewy texture.
- Eggs: Crucial for binding the ingredients together, adding moisture, and contributing to the rich texture. For optimal emulsification and a smoother batter, ensure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract is a must for the best flavor. It enhances all the other sweet and spicy notes in the blondies, adding a warm, aromatic dimension.
- All-Purpose Flour: The structural backbone of our blondies. It’s vital to measure your flour correctly to avoid dry, dense bars. Always spoon and level the flour rather than scooping it directly from the bag, which can compact it and lead to using too much.
- Baking Powder: This leavening agent provides a gentle lift to the bars, preventing them from becoming too dense and ensuring a tender crumb. It helps create that slightly cakey-yet-chewy texture characteristic of a great blondie.
- Cream of Tartar: This is the secret ingredient for authentic snickerdoodle flavor! It’s what gives these blondies their distinctive tangy taste and contributes to their characteristic chewy texture. Don’t skip it if you want that true snickerdoodle experience.
- Salt: A touch of salt is essential to balance the sweetness of the dough and enhance all the flavors, making them pop.
- Cinnamon: The star of the show for our topping! Mixed with granulated sugar, it’s generously sprinkled over the top of the blondies before baking, providing that iconic snickerdoodle aroma, flavor, and visual appeal.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Blondie Bars: Step-by-Step Guide
Creating these delightful **Snickerdoodle Bars** is incredibly simple. Follow these easy steps to bake a batch of soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced blondies that everyone will adore. The key is in gentle mixing and careful baking to ensure the best texture.
- Prepare Your Baking Pan: First things first, get your oven ready! Preheat it to 350ºF (177°C). Then, prepare a 9×13-inch baking pan by lining it with either aluminum foil or parchment paper. Make sure to leave a slight overhang on the sides; this little trick will make it incredibly easy to lift the entire slab of baked blondies out of the pan for neat slicing later.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, the foundation of your blondies begins. Whisk together the melted butter, both granulated and brown sugars, room temperature eggs, and pure vanilla extract until they are thoroughly combined and smooth. Aim for a light and creamy mixture, ensuring no streaks of sugar remain.
- Incorporate the Dry Ingredients: Now, it’s time to add the structural components. To the wet mixture, gently stir in the measured all-purpose flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough, as overworking the gluten in the flour can lead to tough, dense blondies rather than the soft, chewy texture we desire. Stop mixing as soon as no dry streaks of flour are visible.
- Assemble and Top the Bars: Carefully transfer the prepared cookie dough into your foil-lined pan. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, gently spread the dough into one even layer, making sure it reaches all corners of the pan. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Then, generously and evenly sprinkle this fragrant cinnamon-sugar mixture over the entire surface of the dough. This creates that iconic snickerdoodle crust.
- Bake to Perfection: Place the pan in your preheated oven and bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. You’ll know the **Snickerdoodle Blondies** are perfectly done when the top looks set and lightly golden, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Avoid overbaking, as this can lead to dry blondies.
- Cool and Serve: Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and allow the blondies to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. This is a crucial step; these bars are very soft when warm and need time to set up properly for clean slicing. Once fully cooled, use the foil overhang to lift the entire slab out of the pan, place it on a cutting board, and slice into squares. Enjoy your homemade **chewy Snickerdoodle Blondies**!
Frequently Asked Questions About Snickerdoodle Blondies
Got questions about making these irresistible **Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars**? Here are some common inquiries and their answers to help you achieve blondie perfection!
While the ingredients are similar, this recipe is specifically formulated for the bar form, which bakes differently and doesn’t require chilling or individual shaping. If you’re craving classic, perfectly rounded snickerdoodle cookies, I highly recommend following my dedicated classic snickerdoodle recipe or for an extra rich twist, my brown butter snickerdoodle recipe instead. Those recipes guide you through the specific steps for traditional cookies.
The cream of tartar is a key ingredient in authentic snickerdoodles, and it plays a vital role in these blondies too! It provides that delightful, subtle tangy flavor that snickerdoodles are known for. Beyond taste, it also helps create the signature soft and chewy texture by reacting with the baking powder to prevent the crystallization of sugar, resulting in a tender crumb.
Technically, yes, you may omit the cream of tartar from this recipe, especially since it also uses baking powder as a leavening agent. However, please be aware that your **Snickerdoodle Blondies** will not have that distinctive tangy flavor and may be slightly less chewy than the classic version. The cream of tartar truly defines the snickerdoodle experience. If you’re curious about the science behind leavening agents, I have a post that explains the difference between baking soda and baking powder, which might provide more insight.
Absolutely! This recipe is quite flexible. You can easily double the recipe if you’re baking for a larger crowd, but you will need to use two separate 9×13-inch pans to ensure even baking. Alternatively, if you’re just looking for a smaller batch, this recipe can also be cut in half and baked in an 8-inch square pan. The baking time will be roughly the same, but always keep an eye on it as oven temperatures can vary.
Once completely cooled, store your **Snickerdoodle Blondies** in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh and deliciously chewy for up to five days. For longer storage, see the freezing instructions below!
Yes, these blondies freeze beautifully! Once completely cooled, wrap individual bars or the entire slab tightly in plastic wrap, then again in aluminum foil. Store them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to two months. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature.
Creative Recipe Variations for Your Snickerdoodle Blondies
While these **Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars** are absolutely divine as written, there are plenty of exciting ways to customize this recipe and add your own unique twist. Don’t be afraid to experiment and create a version that truly speaks to your taste buds!
- For Brown Butter Enthusiasts: If you adore the rich, nutty notes of brown butter, you can absolutely brown your butter before incorporating it into the wet ingredients. This step adds an incredible depth of flavor. Important Note: Browning butter causes some moisture loss. To compensate and maintain the perfect chewy texture, I recommend browning an extra 3 tablespoons of butter initially to ensure you have enough liquid for the recipe.
- For Thicker, Chewier Bars: Prefer a denser, more substantial cookie bar? You can easily adjust the pan size. Instead of a 9×13-inch pan, bake the dough in an 11×7-inch pan. Remember that a thicker bar will require a longer baking time; adjust it to approximately 30 to 35 minutes, keeping an eye on the doneness with a toothpick.
- For a Cinnamon-Forward Kick: If you’re a true cinnamon lover, amplify the spice in these blondies! Consider adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon directly into the cookie dough mixture alongside the flour and other dry ingredients. You could also stir in ½ cup of cinnamon chips for bursts of intense cinnamon flavor. For an extra spicy topping, increase the cinnamon in the cinnamon-sugar sprinkle.
- For a White Chocolate Dream: White chocolate pairs beautifully with the warm, spicy notes of snickerdoodles. Fold 1 cup of white chocolate chips into the cookie dough just before spreading it into the pan. Alternatively, once the blondies have completely cooled, melt some white chocolate and drizzle it decoratively over the top for an elegant finish and an extra layer of sweetness.
- Add a Touch of Crunch: For added texture, consider folding in ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the dough with the dry ingredients. The subtle crunch will provide a wonderful contrast to the soft, chewy blondie.
- Make Them Caramel Swirled: Before sprinkling on the cinnamon sugar, drizzle about ¼ cup of warm caramel sauce over the dough and gently swirl it in with a knife for a decadent caramel-snickerdoodle fusion.
Essential Baking Tips for Perfect Snickerdoodle Blondies Every Time
Achieving perfectly chewy and flavorful **Snickerdoodle Blondies** is easy with a few key baking tips. Keep these pointers in mind for foolproof results:
- Line Your Pan: This is arguably the most important tip for easy cleanup and serving! I cannot stress enough the importance of lining your baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on the sides. This allows you to effortlessly lift the entire slab of blondies out of the pan once cooled, making slicing incredibly neat and simple.
- Don’t Overmix the Eggs (or the Dough!): When combining your wet ingredients, whisk until just combined. Overmixing the eggs can incorporate too much air into the mixture, which can lead to a more cake-like texture rather than the desired fudgy, chewy blondie. Similarly, when adding the dry ingredients, mix only until no streaks of flour remain to avoid developing too much gluten, which can result in tough bars.
- Cool Completely Before Slicing: Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to blondies! These bars are wonderfully soft and melt-in-your-mouth when warm, but they need time to fully set up and firm once removed from the oven. Attempting to slice them while still warm will likely result in a crumbly, messy outcome. Allow them to cool completely to room temperature in the pan before lifting and cutting into squares.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your eggs are at room temperature. This allows them to emulsify better with the other ingredients, creating a smoother, more uniform dough that bakes more evenly.
- Accurate Flour Measurement: Always spoon and level your flour rather than scooping it. Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading you to use up to 25% more than intended, which will result in dry, crumbly blondies.
- Don’t Overbake: Blondies can go from perfectly baked to dry and crumbly very quickly. Keep a close eye on them towards the end of the baking time. The edges should be set and lightly golden, and the center should appear mostly set. A slight jiggle in the very center is okay as they will continue to cook slightly as they cool.
- Customize Your Topping: Feel free to adjust the amount of cinnamon sugar topping to your preference. If you love a thick cinnamon crust, you can add a little extra.
Snickerdoodle Blondies
10 minutes
30 minutes
40 minutes
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Ingredients
24
bars
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¾ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (170 grams; 1.5 sticks) -
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams) -
¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (150 grams) -
2 large eggs at room temperature -
2 teaspoons vanilla extract -
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled) (250 grams) -
1 teaspoon baking powder -
½ teaspoon cream of tartar -
½ teaspoon salt
Topping:
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¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams) -
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure to leave some overhang for easy removal, and set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
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Add the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
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Scoop the dough into the pan and spread it out evenly.
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In a separate bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the cookie dough in the pan.
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Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops of the bars are set.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan. Cut into slices and enjoy.
Notes
Freezing instructions: Blondies may be frozen for up to two months, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
For a thicker cookie bar: These can be baked in an 11×7-inch pan instead. Adjust baking time to 30-35 minutes at 350°F.
American
Dessert
Danielle Rye
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More Delicious Cookie Bar Recipes to Try!
Ready to bake up some joy? These **Easy Snickerdoodle Blondies** are sure to become a cherished recipe in your baking repertoire. Happy baking!