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Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars are seriously addicting! All the things you love about snickerdoodles plus soft caramel in the middle!
Snickerdoodle Bars
Guys, I’m going to change my addicting ways and fill up on all the non-sugary things… just as soon as these Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars have left my house. Soft caramel + soft cookie bars + cinnamon + sugar = heaven. In the meantime, these are RIDICULOUS and SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!!!! Like for reals. Go make them immediately.
If you love cinnamon-spiced cookies give these a try: Snickerdoodle Waffle Cookies, Snickerdoodle Cookies, Cinnamon Roll Cookies, and Cinnamon Butterscotch Cookies.
Main Ingredients Needed + Substitutes
This snickerdoodle bars recipe uses my recipe for Perfect Snickerdoodles and warm soft caramel. Here’s what you need to make this sweet treat:
- Butter + Butter Flavored Shortening – the trick to a good snickerdoodle is to have to be puffy but not too puffy. You can use all butter if preferred.
- Granulated Sugar – to sweeten the cookies.
- Eggs – for structure. If you can’t have eggs, replace two eggs with two tablespoons of ground flax seeds plus 6 tablespoons of water (mix ground flax seeds with water. Allow the mixture to rest until it becomes gelatinous, then add to the dough).
- Vanilla – for flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour – to fill out the cookies and make the dough.
- Cream of Tartar – this is a common ingredient found in almost all snickerdoodle recipes. It gives the cookie its signature slightly tangy taste.
- Baking Soda – our leavening agent.
- Salt – to balance out the sweet.
- Cinnamon + Sugar – these two are mixed together to create the perfect cinnamon sugar blend.
- Kraft Caramels + Heavy Cream – I’m talking about the cube-shaped caramels that can be found at your local grocery store. The heavy cream makes the caramel pourable and soft. If you have your own caramel filling/sauce recipe you’d like to use, go for it!
Snickerdoodle Bars Variations
This snickerdoodle bars recipe is perfect on its own, but consider these variations if you’re feeling adventurous:
- Salted Caramel – add some salt flaked atop the caramel filling to create a salted caramel taste!
- Chocolate Chips – add chocolate chips atop the caramel filling to create snickerdoodle-caramelita cookie bars.
- No Caramel – if you’re looking for an even easier recipe just leave out the caramel element! What you’re left with is basically snickerdoodles!
How to Make Snickerdoodle Bars
For full details on how to make Snickerdoodle Bars, see the recipe card down below 🙂
1. Preheat + Prep
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray 9×13 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
2. Make Cookie Dough + Cinnamon Sugar
In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Add in all dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Scrape edges and mix again briefly.
In a small bowl, stir sugar and cinnamon together.
3. Line Pan
Pour half the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the baking dish and spread around to coat the bottom.
Take 2/3 of the cookie dough and press into the bottom of the pan and up the sides about 1 inch. Sprinkle the top of the cookie dough with 1 tablespoon of the remaining cinnamon sugar.
4. Melt + Pour Caramel
In a medium-size bowl, add caramels and cream. Microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring in between each until completely melted and smooth.
Pour caramel over cookie dough and spread to smooth.
5. Top with Cookie Dough + Cinnamon Sugar
Take small pieces of remaining cookie dough, flatten slightly in between your hands and place over top the caramel until no more cookie dough remains. Sprinkle the cookie dough on top of the caramel with the last of the cinnamon and sugar.
6. Bake + Cool
Bake snickerdoodle bars for 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
Once baked, everything will be puffed and a little bit larger than before. All totally normal! Let the snickerdoodle bars simmer down and cool, then cut into bars!
At room temperature, the caramel and cookie bars will be soft and barely runny. Warm bars fresh out of the oven means hot caramel lava. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, buuuuut don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Do you see what I mean about the room temperature caramel? It’s at a sweet spot…right where you want it!
More Cookie Bars to Try!
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Carmelitas
- Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
- S’mores Bars
- Magic Bars
Totally sweet and delicious 🙂
Everyone will beg you for this Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars recipe. These are perfect treats to bring to holiday parties or Christmas cookie exchanges! Honestly, they’ll be the talk of the town.
Printable recipe below. Have a great day, friends!!
Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening or more butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs or 2 Tbsp flax seeds + 6 Tbsp water*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
cinnamon sugar topping
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
caramel filling
- 13 oz kraft caramels unwrapped, or homemade caramel suace
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly spray 9×13 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir sugar and cinnamon together.
- Pour half the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the baking dish and spread around to coat the bottom.
- In a large bowl, using an electric stand mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar.
- Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Add in all dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Scrape edges and mix again briefly.
- Take 2/3 of the cookie dough and press into the bottom of the pan and up the sides about 1 inch.
- Sprinkle the top of the cookie dough with 1 tablespoon of the remaining cinnamon sugar.
- In a medium-size bowl, add caramels and heavy cream*. Microwave for 20-second intervals, stirring in between each until completely melted and smooth.
- Pour caramel over cookie dough and spread to smooth.
- Take small pieces of remaining cookie dough, flatten slightly in between your hands and place over top the caramel until no more cookie dough remains.
- Sprinkle the cookie dough on top of the caramel with the last of the cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Cool completely before cutting into bars.
I was bored with chocolate chip cookie bars so I searched and found these — and let me say –These are EXCELLENT !!!!!
Hi…we have egg allergy, is there anything else we can use?
Do I have to use butter flavor shortening or can I just use all butter?
you can use all butter
That was my first question too!!
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These look delicious! I’m going to make them for my daughter who looooves caramel!
[…] other day an old friend of mine reached out to me and just sent me this link for these Snickerdoodle Caramel Bars from Lauren’s Latest. It’s okay. You just take a minute to go over there and soak […]
Lauren, I’ve made these bars so many times I’ve lost count and I always get asked for the recipe! They turn out perfectly each time and that gooey caramel layer… wow! I didn’t think snickerdoodles could get any better, but you’ve proved me wrong.
I’ve made these bars several times with lots of rave reviews! Everyone loves them! Rightfully so since they’re delicious!
SImple to make and everyone loved them! Heated them in the micro and topped with vanilla ice cream. So good. Stored them in a ziplock and they were even better the next day. Caramel stays soft!
These are easy to make and extremely delicious. I get rave reviews and recipe requests each time I make them. Thank you!
Wondering if I can use my own homemade caramel sauce instead of the pre-packaged ones that you get at the store?
I did my first Whole30 in August (documented it all on my blog) and, I’m not gonna lie, it.was.HARD. My husband (jokingly) says, “You lose weight because you lose your will to live.” 🙂 Ok, it’s not THAT bad but it is definitely difficult. BUT I’m already thinking about doing it again – gah! I’ve never felt better (after the first 15 days), had so much energy and actually had the urge to exercise. First I need to make these cookies though! Priorities 🙂
What to do with all that Halloween candy? My mom used to let us have some and at night she would glean stuff to put in our Christmas stockings! Way to go Mom, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle back in the 50’s!
Oh my goodness – these look ridiculously delicious! Two of my favorite things – good caramel and snickerdoodles. Definitely pinning and going on my list of stuff to make soon!
These look amazing! LOVE LOVE LOVE Josh Groban. Saw him in concert last year. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!
This looks absolutely scrumptious! Caramel is ma fav.
I am on board! These sound amazing….
You’re up to your best! Marvelous story too.
HOLY YUM! Get in my belly ASAP!
Oh heavenly snicker doodle+caramel. Come to grandma!! I could bake dozens of batches and never eat anything else! Lauren, you’ve nailed a perfect combo! Even my 6’1″, 172lb marathon son couldn’t stop eating these!! “Mom, do NOT bring a full plate of these again”. That’s ok son, more for me!!
I love Caramel . Thank you for guide.
Oh man. As a fellow preggo, I appreciate this recipe. Also, the dreams I have had this pregnancy have been the weirdest ever!!! I also have predicted two pregnancies through dreams!!! Insane.