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.
Lilly
Put a lil bit of brown sugar in the recipe and it made it even better than it already was!
Sam
Yum! Sounds delicious!
Elena
I’ve made these delicious blondies for the second time! Big, big hit!
Sam
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them, Elena!
Donna Carey
Looks down right yummy!
Sam
Thanks, Donna!! 🙂
Nina
I just made these…they are absolutely delicious!!!
Sam
So glad you enjoyed them!! 😊
Sue
These are hands down the best snickerdoodles ever!!!! So so good and super easy to make! I always double the recipe and they don’t last long at our house. 🙂
Sam
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Sue! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how they turned out!
Dan
Your photography is actually quite good – well exposed and thoughtfully arranged! (I’m a retired pro photographer!)
Sam
Thank you, Dan! That means a lot to me, thank you so much for commenting 🙂
Diane
Looking forward to trying these. Do you think they could be frozen and still be yummy when thawed?
Sam
I think so, but have never frozen them myself so I can’t be confident, I’m sorry!
Kristina
I’ve tried other bars called snickerdoodle blondies, but they had brown sugar and no cream of tartar, so as tasty as they may have been they did not look or taste like snickerdoodles. These are the real deal — thank you! Adding to my Tried and True Pinterest board.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Kristina! Thank you for letting me know how they turned out for you!!
Pat
Made these today…house smelled amazing and they are delicious!! Can’t wait for my hubby to try them!
Thanks for sharing this great recipe
Sam
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them, Pat! Thank you for commenting!
Melanie
These sound AMAZING! Quick question – do they need to cool in the pan at all before serving?
Sam
I would recommend cooling in the pan before serving, yes. I hope you love them!!
Amy
Just made these last night. Delicious! My 4 little boys devoured them! We will definitely make these again. 🙂
Mary
Just made these and they are fabulous! So much easier than making snickerdoodle cookies too.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Amanda
I’ve made these twice now and they are such a hit! Im never making snickerdoodle cookie dough again lol. These are so faithful to the taste and texture of the cookies. Love them so much!
Pam
Snickerdoodles are my husband’s most favorite cookie. I’ve made the other recipes floating around–major difference is the use of brown sugar and softened (not melted) butter. Hubs was always rather “meh” about them. This recipe is the bomb! Much closer to the cookie and so quick to make! Thank you, thank you! Though I will probably have to buy bigger pants for Hubs at some point! 🙂
Lisa Willis
I made these yesterday and they are delicious and so easy to make.My family & friends gobbled them up. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sam
That’s awesome, I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed them! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how they turned out, Lisa!! 🙂
Lisa Willis
You are very welcome. Thanks for sharing that recipe. I’m making some tonight to take to work 🙂