Snickerdoodle Blondies
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Even better than the cookies, these Snickerdoodle Blondies are buttery, soft, and have that classic signature snickerdoodle tang! These cinnamon-sugar coated blondies may be the best way to eat Snickerdoodles yet. Recipe includes a how-to video!
This snickerdoodle blondie recipe is actually one of the first recipes I ever shared on the blog (scroll down to the bottom of the page for a link to the original so you can have a good laugh at my early photography attempts). It’s one of my favorites, too. An easy-breezy recipe that can be mixed up (without a mixer!) in less than 15 minutes and finished baking in under 30.
This recipe is the perfect marriage of my classic, buttery snickerdoodle cookies (only without the bother of dough-chilling or scooping) and my chewy blondie recipe. Subtly tangy, topped off with a generous shower of cinnamon and sugar, a tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookie crumb, I think you’re going to love these.
What Makes these Snickerdoodle Bars So Good…
Most of the ingredients we’re using are pretty standard ones you’ll be familiar with if you’ve made any of my other bar or cookie recipes. However, there are a two ingredients that are especially key here for the best snickerdoodle blondies.
Butter
No shortening, which so many old-fashioned cookie recipes use. We’re also melting our butter, which not only makes it easy to stir our batter together by hand (no mixer required), but also makes these snickerdoodle blondies especially soft and chewy and infuses every molecule with buttery flavor. As with many of my recipes, I opt to use unsalted butter and add salt so that we have full control over the flavor.
Cream of tartar
This is a big one. One of the questions I get asked most often about this recipe is “I don’t have cream of tartar, can I leave it out?”, to which I always say no, not really.
Technically you could leave it out and these bars would still turn out… They’d still have the same texture, softness and chewiness. Since we’re not baking cookies and our batter is contained in a baking pan, we don’t really need to worry about the chemical/leavening role that this ingredient typically plays in snickerdoodle cookies. However, not everything in baking is always about chemistry. The important role that the cream of tartar plays here is for taste. This ingredient provides a signature tang that makes these taste like actual snickerdoodles and not just sugar cookie bars. If you leave it out, you miss out on that classic flavor.
Then, of course, it goes without saying that a heavy topping of cinnamon and sugar is in order 👆🏻
Tips
- We’re using melted butter, but make sure to let it cool before you add your sugar to it. Butter that is too hot will melt your sugar, and you could end up with a greasy dough that doesn’t bake properly in the oven.
- I use a metal baking dish, a glass one would be fine but the bars may need to bake for longer.
- Snickerdoodle blondies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for at least 3 days.
- And, again, don’t leave out the cream of tartar (see notes above!).
Today’s recipe is really so simple to make that I don’t have much else to say here!
Enjoy!
More Bar Recipes to Try:
- Copycat Cosmic Brownies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Homemade Brownies
- Peanut Butter Blondies
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Let’s bake together! Head on over to my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 200 recipe videos that you can watch for free!
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoon (30 ml) milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Grease and flour (or line with parchment paper) a 13x9 pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and milk. Stir well.1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoon (30 ml) milk
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract and stir until combined.2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until combined.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared 13x9 pan and prepare topping.
Topping
- In a small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over snickerdoodle blondie batter.3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 25-28 minutes or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
*This recipe was originally published in May of 2014 and has been updated to add more notes, a step-by-step video, a splash of vanilla extract, and new photos. Feel free to entertain yourself with some examples of my early photography from the original post.
Very tasty! My adult sons, who grew up loving snickerdoodles, have a new love. They don’t ask for much nowadays, but they definitely ask for your Snickerdoodle Blondies. Thanks for the recipe.
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Bruce! 🙂
These are great in consistency and are very good…BUT…they didn’t taste much like snickerdoodles to my family. We were wondering why only 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar when the regular cookies call for 1 1/2 teaspoons. We will be upping the tartar next time. Love your recipes. Your coffee cake is the hit of the house. I even made a cheese coffee cake with your recipe and used the cheese recipe from your cheese danish to make the cheese coffee cake. Leave out the cinnamon. Double the cheese recipe for the cake. It worked out great. Thanks
Hi Ben! You can certainly up the cream of tartar if you’d like. I’m glad you have enjoyed everything. 🙂
These are so yummy!!!! I used Cup4cup flour (blue bag) to make them gluten free and replaced regular granulated sugar with coconut sugar. Because of my substitutions, I only made a half batch to make sure they would come out, and it worked great. I used a glass pan and cooked for 25 minutes exactly. The coconut sugar makes them a lot different in appearance—much darker color. Thanks for the recipe!!
I am so happy to hear they turned out so well, Sarah! Thank you for sharing your substitutions, too, I appreciate it 🙂
Aww my country doesn’t have cream of tartar
O no! You can still make the blondies, but they won’t have quite the signature snickerdoodle taste.
Can you make with gluten free flour?
I honestly have never tried so I am not sure, I am hoping someone else can chime in. If you try it out I would love to know how it works for you, Sophie!
I made them gluten free using Cup4cup flour (blue bag). Turned out wonderful!
I’ve used multiple gf brands of flour and they’ve each worked out to this point. This is a huge hit everywhere we go. King Arther’s GF flour is the one we use most often. In case anyone needing to know doesn’t reach my comment at the bottom, we also have to make ours dairy free and these work well with coconut oil and olive oil instead of butter and we have to use almond milk. It’s rare to have a recipe work out with so many different substitutions and still be good.
Excellent!made this more than twice already!
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Joanna! 🙂
These are beyond easy to make and they are equally beyond fantastic to eat. They are soft with an ever so slight crunch to the top edges. I mixed these on low with a hand mixer, they were so light and airy it was amazing. The finished cookie looks exactly like the picture and that rarely ever happens. This is going to be a new favorite in our house.
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Julie! 🙂
My husband and 30 year old son just called me a kitchen goddess! These blondies are SO GOOD!
My husband called note to the slight crisp on the bottom, which he loved.
Thank you!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Kristin! 🙂
These are AMAZING! We did half brown sugar, half white simply because we were low on white and they were one of the best cookies we’ve ever had. Don’t overbake!
Yum! Love the addition of the brown sugar! So glad you enjoyed, Deborah, thank you for commenting!
can gluten free rice flour be substituted for all purpose. what is a cup of flour in grams 125gm or 250gm.
I haven’t tried it, if you do try it would you let me know how it turns out for you? a cup of flour is 125g (at least that is the standard on my website).
I gave made these bars at least 12 times this year. Everyone who tries them goes crazy with love for them. I have shared the recipe several times. Thanks for making it so easy to enjoy snickerdoodle cookies without all the work. ❤️
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for commenting, Cat!
If I do not have cream of tartar with what else could I replace it? Or can I do it without the cream of tartar?
Hi, Naomi! Technically you could leave it out and these bars would still turn out… They’d still have the same texture, softness and chewiness. The important role that the cream of tartar plays here is for taste. This ingredient provides a signature tang that makes these taste like actual snickerdoodles and not just sugar cookie bars. If you leave it out, you miss out on that classic flavor.
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I didn’t have cream of tartar, so I substituted the same amount for lemon juice and that classic snickerdoodle flavor came through great 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lee! 🙂
My son’s new favorite dessert.
Hooray! I am so happy to hear how much he loved it, R! Thanks for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Just made these an hour ago. HUGE hit with the teens and adults alike. I threw some peanut butter chips in for something different. They are delicious, but the PB chips weren’t necessary. The snickerdoodle blondies are amazing alone. I believe I just found our new favorite baked good! It’s like a southern butter cake and a snickerdoodle cookie had a baby! Thank you!!
Thank you for trying my recipe, Kim! I am so glad that they were such a hit. I am happy that you have now found a new favorite baked good. Enjoy! 🙂
How long should I cool them after they are baked? I baked them in a metal pan lined with parchment paper. I am going to do the cut with pizza cutter then put on a rack to cool… if my son leaves any behind long enough to cool!!! I’ll wing it for this batch! The house smells AMAZING.
I am so glad that they were a hit and everyone enjoyed them, Jane! You will allow them to cool for 20-30 minutes after being baked. Enjoy! 🙂