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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
*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.
Rachel
These were delicious !!! My family loves the cinnamon sugar topping so I dunked it!!! 😀😀😀
Paige Larson
These are SO f*#&!^% easy to make and so so SO good. Again, I need to bake mine a lot longer then you do and I exclusively use your recipes, but for some reason my bars always need longer in my NordicWare 9X13 pans.
Sam
They are nice and easy! I wonder if your pans are just a little bit lighter in color that could be causing them to need to bake a bit longer?
Bruce
I would guess her oven temperature is off.
Michele
Amazing! Better than my go-to snickerdoodle cookies and much less time consuming!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Michele! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and letting me know how it turned out, I appreciate it! 🙂
Blair
These are AWESOME! To make them dairy free, I substituted unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk. I also substituted 1 cup olive oil for butter. I read online (after I had already baked them) that to substitute oil for butter, it should be 3/4 cups oil for the 1 cup butter. Next time, I will try that! They tasted more “olive oily” than I would prefer. They still came out incredible and both my girls said they wanted to eat the whole pan! I’m supposed to take them to Bible study tonight, but these are disappearing so I might need to make another batch!!
I baked in a greased, glass 9×13 pan at 350° and at 30 minutes it was perfectly cooked.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Blair! I really appreciate your feedback for making them dairy free. I hope your second batch was just as tasty. 😉
Blair
The second batch with 3/4 cups olive oil turned out PERFECT! Not too “olive oily” and they were a HIT!
Also, I did the second batch with the parchment paper instead of greasing the pan, it was SO much easier to cut and get out of the pan.
Thank you!
Sam
That’s awesome to hear! I lovvveee using parchment paper. 🙂
Christine
This recipe is AMAZING. It’s easy, delicious, and the cookies are perfectly soft and buttery and way less work than regular snickerdoodles.
I occasionally use a 1/4 tsp almond extract instead of vanilla, and drizzle with a glaze made with powdered sugar and almond syrup (like you’d use for fancy coffee drinks.) Gilding the lily a bit, perhaps, but tasty!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Christine! 🙂
Ally
Can I substitute the butter for margarine?
Sam
Hi Ally! I haven’t tried it but I think they will still turn out. 🙂
Amanda Heaton
I add a teaspoon of cinnamon in to the batter
RB
These are a new staple in my house. So much easier than cookies and even more delicious. I’ve halved the recipe and baked them in an 8×8 pan and they came our great. I’ve also made them with oil and coconut milk to make them dairy free and they were delicious. I used 3/4 avocado oil and the same amount of milk as the recipe calls for.
Jean
Made these today and were so good. Been shut in for a week because of the snow and ice (Texas snowstorm) and needed something sweet. These were perfect. Definitely will make again.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jean! Stay warm! 🙂
Stella
Recently my best friends mom passed away and I was looking for something to bake for her. I stumbled upon these. I had never tried a blonde before today absolutely delicious! And amazing straight out the oven!!! They cheered my friend up. Thank you.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend’s mom. 🙁 I’m glad these were a bright spot for her. 🙂
Jessica
How long will these last when stored at room temperature. I am planning to make them for Christmas, but I usually make cookies the week before Christmas and store them in airtight tins. Just wondering if they will still taste good after a week being stored in tins. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Jessica! They will be good for about a week in an air tight container. They will still be delicious days later. 🙂
Jean Lindsly
I have a lactose intolerant son (25) I bake for him as very little non-milk product/non-butter products out there. I used almond mile and the crisco-butter flavored sticks. About 3/4 cub of the stick – it seems to be “oilier” than butter. If you have any tips for lactose free cooking (no butter, no cheese no milk) please point me to them. This was a great find when not wanted to sand and wait for cookies to come out.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jean! Unfortunately I am not very familiar with lactose free baking, but I do really appreciate your feedback on making it lactose free. It gives me good info for anyone else who asks. 🙂
roberta mosenfelder
I clearify the butter ( melt, rest, then pour off the clear at the top, the milk proteins sink or can be skimmed off. this works for me, who is allergic as well as lactose intolerant. instead of the milk, I use a nut milk or water.
Sarah
Lactose free – I use good karma flax milk when I bake. You can try the Earth Balance, I usually use 3/4 butter sticks, don’t melt all the way, soften down so when you stir the butter melts. I added 1 more T milk, and 1-2 T green valley lactose free sour cream.
Cianna
Hi Jean,
I’m lactose intolerant, Earth Balance is a great dairy free option to replace butter 1:1 for recipes. It is sold in sticks and spread at the grocery store.
Tiffany Daumueller
We are dairy free and we have successfully used olive oil and coconut oil and they’ve still been a huge hit wherever we bring them.
Susan J Smith
I made these a couple of times now and get lots of compliments I was wondering how do you think these will freeze?
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Susan! I haven’t tried freezing them but I think they will do perfectly fine in the freezer. 🙂
Joyce
These are amazing! Snickerdoodles are my kids’ favorite cookie, but they are time consuming to make. These bars give us the flavor of the cookies without the time! Thank you for this recipe. I’m sure I will come back to it many times!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Joyce! 🙂
Nicole W
I am going to make these next week! I am unable to go grocery shopping for cream of tartar. Is there any sort of substitute? Will I be fine without using it?
Sam
Hi Nicole! Unfortunately I don’t have a good substitute for the cream of tartar. You can probably leave it out but they won’t have quite the same flavor. The cream of tartar really adds the signature snickerdoodle flavor here. 🙁
Janelle Witter
Pure good fortune that I came across this recipe. Last year I came close with a mediocre at best snickerdoodle bar recipe. Snickerdoodle blondies seemed a better choice, and indeed. Our new favorite cookie, beating out my peanut butter brownies. I messaged my taste-tester friend and told her I had found a “delightful, really” recipe. “Soft, buttery……”
Snickerdoodles need cream of tartar, thanks for keeping it in. And thank you for the recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Janelle! I agree with the cream of tartar. It’s not a snickerdoodle without it. 🙂
Anna Leonard
Incredible!! Super easy and beginner friendly. I also did 3/4 cup of both brown sugar and granulated sugar and upped the cream of tartar to 1.5 tsp as suggested by previous commenters. A sweet, comforting treat PERFECT for fall. Going to warm one of these up and eat it with some pumpkin flavored ice cream. Woo!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Anna! 🙂
Michaela
I just made these for my daughter’s first college care package of the year and I snuck a little taste. These are amazing!!! And so much easier than making a batch of cookies! I adjusted it slightly and added only 1 1/2 cups sugar (3/4 cups each brown and granulated) and then I added 1 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar since my cookie recipe calls for 2 tsp. This is my new go-to recipe for sure!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Michaela! Hopefully your daughter likes them just as much. 🙂