Classic Christmas cookies made easier! These thick, white-chocolate-frosted Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars have the soft, chewy texture you love with super easy prep—no chilling needed. Simply spread the batter in a pan, bake, and enjoy the sweet cinnamon goodness. Consider it my stress-busting gift to you this holiday season!
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store snickerdoodle cookie bars
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Brown butter, cinnamon, and white chocolate create the most festive flavor.
- Snickerdoodle cookie bars are a hit at holiday bake sales, cookie swaps, Christmas parties, and cozy family movie nights.
- Don't skip the cream of tartar. It gives snickerdoodles a hint of tanginess and keeps them chewy.
Why fuss with scooping and rolling sticky dough when you can make perfectly shaped, thick & chewy cookie bars much more easily?
Plus, with just a bit of white chocolate and colorful candy, you can make fun, festive designs—no holiday miracle needed.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Add a pinch of ground chipotle chile to kick up the spice, inspired by my popular Red Hot Snickerdoodles recipe.
- Swap the vanilla extract with maple extract for a fun fall twist.
- It's not traditional, but some people like to stir in a cup of something crunchy, like nuts, toffee bits, or white chocolate chips.
- Use the melted white chocolate to create any design you like. Draw little hearts, Santa hats, stripes, monograms, or personalize the cookie bars with numbers for your kiddos' sports teams—whatever you like.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.
Finally, mix in the dry ingredients to form a dough.
Spread dough in a pan and top with cinnamon sugar.
🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Wait until the cookie bars are completely cooled before cutting and decorating them. They'll crumble if you remove them too soon, and the chocolate will melt if you add it while they're warm!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🥫 Leftover love: how to store snickerdoodle cookie bars
Store leftover snickerdoodle cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
You can also freeze leftover snickerdoodles for up to 3 months. Just be sure to seal them tightly in a freezer-safe container or bag. Let 'em sit at room temperature for one or two hours to thaw.
Marye's Tip o' the day
To make brown butter, melt it in a pan over medium heat until amber. Watch carefully because once it starts to brown, it'll quickly burn. Be sure to scrape the pan well with a spatula to get all those brown bits off the bottom—that's where the flavor is!
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Let the brown butter cool before adding it to the dough.
- Similarly, be sure to let the eggs warm up at room temperature before adding them, or the dough could split.
- Beat the butter and sugar well to incorporate air into the cookie dough.
- However, once you add the flour, only mix until it's combined. Otherwise, the gluten in the flour may turn tough.
- If you're baking for a large crowd or a party, feel free to cut the bars into smaller pieces. This way, everyone can try a bite or two.
- I used candy coated mini-chips to decorate the cookie bars, but mini M&M candies or Red Hots would work well, too.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Sure. I haven't tested it, but I would recommend trying your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour replacement. However, the texture of the bars will be different than if you used AP flour.
For cookie bars, checking the temp is the best way to tell. The internal temperature will read 180℉-190℉ when they're done. Just be sure to check the center of the cookies, and don't let the probe hit the bottom of the pan.
I piped the melted chocolate in a zig-zag pattern to make the Christmas trees. Then, I added candy coated mini-chips to the edges as festive lights. Mini m&ms will work, too.
Melt it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well between each. Don't overheat it, or it'll firm up and be ruined. It's easier to use white candy melts if you don't have experience with white chocolate.
You can. I prefer the taste of good white chocolate instead. Ghirardelli white chocolate chips are my pick! But, if you are not experienced with white chocolate candy melts are easier to work with.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Snickerdoodle bars will cool faster if you set the baking pan on a wire cooling rack, allowing air to flow under it. Move it away from the hot stove to speed up the process even more.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
I never need an excuse to eat leftover cookies—they're good for breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack! However, here are some more creative ways to give snickerdoodle cookie bars new life:
- Crumbled into a streusel topping for berry cobbler
- Diced into cookie cubes for an ice cream sundae bar
- Crushed up and baked into a crumb crust for pie or cheesecake
- As the base of a cinnamon-themed dessert trifle
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
I've always loved snickerdoodles but the first time I took my recipe and made it into a bar?
Perfection!
Easy, chewy, and it takes a fraction of the time to make 2 dozen (or more) cookies! I love these decorated for Christmas but they're just as delicious with a plain drizzle or no white chocolate at all.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, melted and browned
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar topping
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
White chocolate drizzle
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Spray a 9x13 baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Add flour mixture and blend until combined.
- Transfer dough to prepared baking pan and press down firmly.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
- Sprinkle evenly over the dough.
- Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes - or until an instant read thermometer reads 180℉-190℉ when inserted in center.
- Let the bars cool completely. They will fall apart if they have not cooled when cut and removed from the pan.
- When cool melt the white chocolate chips carefully in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds until melted.
- Place melted chocolate in a ziploc bag and snip off a small piece of the corner.
- Drizzle the chocolate on the cooled bars as desired.
Notes
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- Let the brown butter cool before adding it to the dough.
-
- Let the eggs warm up at room temperature before adding them.
-
- If you're baking for a large crowd or a party, feel free to cut the bars into smaller pieces. This way, everyone can try a bite or two.
-
- I used candy coated mini-chips to decorate the cookie bars, but mini M&M candies or Red Hots would work well, too.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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