Caramel Snickerdoodle Bars

Three stacked caramel-filled bars with a golden-brown crust rest on a marble surface.

Soft, buttery snickerdoodle cookie layers baked with a thick ribbon of melted caramel in the middle. Every bite is cinnamon-sweet, chewy, and just the right amount of gooey.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword snickerdoodle bars, snickerdoodle bars recipe, snickerdoodle cookie bars

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Servings bars

Calories 345kcal

Author Katie Cooksey

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly spray 9x13 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.

Video

Notes

*if using homemade caramel sauce, omit the Kraft caramels and heavy cream. See my homemade caramel sauce recipe

Storage + Make Ahead Directions

Store these bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you have a lot of leftovers, you can refrigerate them to keep them fresh longer.

To Make Ahead: These bars can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to a week. The flavors will even intensify after a day or two.

To Freeze: These bars freeze really well! Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, let them thaw at room temperature.

Nutrition