These soft and chewy dessert bars are the fun of snickerdoodles without all the work! Mix, press, and bake, that's it! You have got to try these easy-to-make Simple Snickerdoodle Bars!
If you love snickerdoodle cookies, you will not be disappointed in this variation. Not only do these bars have all the flavor and texture of the classic cookie, but they are so much easier to make!
Want another reason to love these bars? How about the healthier addition of wheat flour? Don't let this worry you if you have never baked with whole wheat flour before, keep reading below for all the tips you will need to make this bake awesome!
Ingredients
- Butter- I know a lot of the older recipes for snickerdoodles call for shortening, but I cannot do it. I much prefer not only the flavor but texture of cookies with butter. Plus, it is much healthier than shortening.
- Granulated and brown sugar- I use a mix of both in this recipe. You want the brown sugar for chewiness, but the granulated adds to the texture and it also is used for the cinnamon sugar on top as well.
- Eggs- These add structure, flavor, and color to the bars.
- Vanilla- It doesn't take much, but is essential.
- Whole wheat pastry flour- I love to use this flour in bars, cookies, cakes etc. Read the section below for a more thorough explanation.
- All-purpose flour- I generally use a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat. My family prefers this, and I find most people without experience with whole wheat flours do as well.
- Baking powder- this is the main leavener in the recipe.
- Cream of tartar- another leavener I like to use with the baking powder.
- Salt- it only takes a pinch, but is worth it.
- Cinnamon- What would a snickerdoodle be without cinnamon?
How To Make This Recipe
Preheat the oven. This is so important! Then it is ready to go as soon as you finish mixing your batter.
Next, mix your flours, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Prepare your pan by lining it with parchment. This is optional but makes it so much easier to remove it from the pan.
Next, cream your butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. You don't need to mix until it is light and fluffy, these bars should be denser.
Add in your egg and vanilla then mix to combine. The dry ingredients come next, again, mixing to combine. You don't want to over mix or your bars will be tough.
Press gently in your prepared pan. Then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mix.
Bake. That is it! I told you, these bars are really simple to make!
Tips
These bars are made to be dense, so no need to whip that butter and sugar as you do in a standard cookie recipe. This saves time and creates a great texture.
Don't overbake. If you do, it will dry the bars out and you don't want that!
I highly recommend using whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe and I will explain more about that below.
Baking With Whole Wheat Flour
Most of us have had bad experiences with whole wheat baked goods. If they are not baked correctly, they can be dry, tasteless, and really unappealing. However, learning a few tricks can help solve any of these issues.
I love baking with whole wheat flour, and have done it for a long time! Here are the recommendations I have for this.
If you are new to baking with whole wheat, start in moderation. This recipe calls for a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose. This is a great blend to start with.
Another tip is to make sure you are using the right wheat flour for the right baked good. One complaint is that the whole wheat baked goods don’t taste like the original. This problem is mostly solved using the right wheat.
For this recipe, I highly recommend using whole wheat pastry flour.
The last tips are this. Make sure not to over mix and make sure not to overbake. In this recipe, only mix to COMBINE, this will keep you from over mixing. Then make sure not to overbake. Whole wheat absorbs more moisture, so make sure not to overbake or it will be dry and crumbly.
FAQ
You can! Wait until they are completely cool, cut into the sizes you want. Then you have a few options for storing. Either wrap them individually in saran wrap, place them in a large ziplock freezer bag, or store them in an airtight container. Thaw before serving.
You don't. The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it is. You can use all refined flours, a blend as I showed in the recipe, or you can use all whole wheat flour. There are no modifications that need to be made to the rest of the recipe.
I have not tried it personally, but I imagine it would work. The thing is it is a really low protein flour, generally rice flour, so the bars will be more crumbly. If you are used to gluten-free baking, you will already be used to this texture.
Other Bar Recipes
- Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars
- Patriotic Sugar Cookie Bars
- Cherry Slab Pie
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
- No-Bake Rocky Road Bars
- Vegan graham Crackers
Equipment
- stand or hand mixer
- 9x13 pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare your 9x13 pan. I like to line it with parchment paper for easy removal. If you don't want to do that, butter or spray to keep the bars from sticking.
- In a small bowl. combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, cream or tartar, and salt. Set aside.
- Add your butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a bowl. Mix until they are well combined.
- You don't want to mix until they are light and fluffy though, these are a dense bar.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla. Then mix to combine.
- Add in your flour mixture and mix to combine again.
- Press your cookie batter into the prepared 9x13 pan. I like to spray my hands with pan spray to keep it from sticking to your hands.
- Mix your 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon. Then sprinkle this mix on top of the bars.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
- Make sure not to overbake. I feel like these are best slightly underbaked.
- Remove from the oven.
- I like to let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.
- If you used parchment, simply remove it from the pan.
- These will hold well in the fridge for about 3 days.
- They can also be frozen in an airtight container or ziplock bag for about a month!
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
Teresa says
Can I not use whole wheat flour?
admin says
You sure can. Are you talking about red or white wheat flour? They are just higher in protein, which is why I prefer whole wheat pastry flour. They are still really good with a white or red wheat too though!