Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Snickerdoodles were my favorite cookie to bake as a kid. I prefer my snickerdoodles super thick and soft, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve with these cookie bars. With a bit of cream of tartar, these cookie bars are given that signature fluffy snickerdoodle quality. And of course, they are topped with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar! By baking them in a square pan, it takes some of the effort away as you won't need to shape each cookie and roll into cinnamon sugar. So these cookie bars really do check all of the boxes - thick, soft, fluffy, and minimal effort. Nothing not to love!

For more yummy bar recipes, try Cherry Pie Bars, S'mores Bars, Homemade Samoa Bars, and Gooey Candy Bar Blondies.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this snickerdoodle cookie bar recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the dough. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until just combined. Add the vanilla and mix. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread evenly, then place the cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

STEP 2: Make topping and bake. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cinnamon sugar topping by combining the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on the dough, leaving a small border around the edges so you can see when they turn golden in the oven. Bake the cookie bars for about 27 minutes. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting.

Expert Baking Tips

• Do NOT over-mix the dough! To get the perfect soft snickerdoodle texture, only mix everything until they are just combined.
• You could probably get away with not chilling the dough, but I find that most cookies develop more flavor by resting in the fridge.
• It's hard to tell when the cookie bars are done baking, but I found that 27 minutes was the perfect amount of time. Everyones' ovens are different, so just look for slightly golden edges and trust your gut. No matter what, they're going to be good!
• Use parchment paper and a small measuring cup to evenly flatten out the dough in the square pan. Put the cookie dough in the square pan and place a piece of parchment paper on top. Press the dough out with your hands, then use the measuring cup to smooth it out.
• Let the cookie bars cool completely before cutting into them! I know it's difficult to be patient, but if you want those clean cut edges, you should wait! A trick to speed up the cooling time is to just pop it in the fridge for a few minutes. 

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x