A cross between a soft and thick snickerdoodle cookie and a chewy blondie, these snickerdoodle blondies are studded with white chocolate chips and ribboned with sweet cinnamon-sugar. No dough chilling or individual cookie dough rolling required to get your snickerdoodle fix!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and additional success tips. These have been a long-time repeat favorite. Though they may look understated, these pack a HUGE flavor punch and their soft, yet dense texture is like a cinnamon-vanilla version of a brownie. So good!!
One reader, Lynne, commented: “Perfect. So delicious and so much easier than the cookies. We were supposed to save them for an event next week but I don’t think they will make it that long. So yummy! Will definitely make again. ★★★★★”
Snickerdoodle Blondies Recipe Snapshot
- Taste: The classic blondie flavors of sweet vanilla and butter mingle with creamy white chocolate and the distinctive flavor of snickerdoodles, thanks to the cinnamon-sugar topping and filling.
- Texture: One of the many reasons people love blondies so much is their unparalleled texture. Thick, dense, chewy, and studded with bits of white chocolate, these bars are a texture lover’s dream.
- Ease: The hardest part is pressing this super-sticky dough into the pan. I have some tips for you below.
- Time: The batter comes together quickly with an electric mixer, and the pan takes just over 30 minutes to bake. No dough chilling, and no individual cookie dough ball rolling and coating. You do have to wait for the snickerdoodle blondies to cool before you can cut them, however. (Correction: That’s the hardest part.)
Grab These Basic Ingredients:
- Butter: A key flavor in blondies, we are creaming the butter with the sugars, so make sure to use proper room-temperature butter. Using melted butter, which is common in blondies, made these way too dense. Stick with creamed butter as instructed below.
- Sugars: We’re using both white and brown sugars to sweeten these treats.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla: Another key flavor in blondies.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the structure of these blondies.
- Baking Powder: This leavener puffs the blondies up as they bake.
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to snickerdoodles, as well as extra chewiness, and is the main ingredient that sets them apart from sugar cookies. If you don’t have any, you can skip it; you won’t really notice anything is missing.
- Salt: To balance the sweet.
- White Chocolate Morsels: White chocolate is a fabulous pairing with snickerdoodles; we love to include it in these pumpkin snickerdoodles and chai spice snickerdoodles, too.
- Cinnamon-Sugar: Snickerdoodles typically get rolled in this combo before baking, but for these blondies, we are sprinkling a generous layer in between two layers of the blondie dough. (And a little more on top, too!)
In Photos: Assembling Snickerdoodle Blondies
The dough comes together quickly with the help of an electric mixer. Expect a thick, creamy, very sticky dough:
Take about half of the dough (just eyeball it) and plop it into a 9-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper. (Note that the exact pan you see in these photos is no longer for sale!) I always recommend lining the pan with parchment paper for brownies and bars, and leaving a little bit of overhang on the sides. This makes it super easy to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board to slice into squares.
Now comes the tricky part: pressing this sticky, thick, buttery dough into the pan. The best way to do this is with generously floured hands. Keep a small bowl of flour nearby and re-flour your hands as needed.
Once you have the first half of the snickerdoodle blondie dough pressed in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pan, sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of it. Reserve 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top before baking.
Now, top the cinnamon swirl layer with the remaining blondie dough. Again, generously flour your hands for this step. Take a handful of dough and press it between your hands to flatten it, then place it on top of the cinnamon swirl layer. Repeat with the remaining dough, a handful at a time, re-flouring your hands as often as needed. Lay the “shingles” of dough gently next to one another, sort of like puzzle pieces.
Try to meld them together, like this:
Lightly sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar over the top, then bake. Let the snickerdoodle blondies cool completely in the pan before cutting them into squares. The bars are pretty thick, so you can cut the pan into 20 small bars. Or, for extra generous servings, cut the pan into 16 bars.
The edges are extra chewy and the centers are oh-so soft. There’s white chocolate chips aplenty and the sticky cinnamon-sugar swirl will make you weak at the knees.
And if snickerdoodles are your thing, don’t sleep on these recipes: classic snickerdoodles (a no-chill cookie recipe), caramel snickerdoodles, chocolate snickerdoodles, and maple pecan snickerdoodles. Oh, and don’t forget snickerdoodle cupcakes and snickerdoodle cake!
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Snickerdoodle Blondies
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 34 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 16-20 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
A cross between a chewy blondie and soft snickerdoodle cookie, these blondie bars are studded with white chocolate chips and ribboned with sweet cinnamon sugar! Have extra flour handy for steps 4 and 5.
Ingredients
Blondies
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) white chocolate morsels, plus 1 Tablespoon for topping
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
- Make the blondies: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and then beat on high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt together until combined. Pour into the wet ingredients, then beat on low speed until combined. Beat in 1 cup (180g) white chocolate morsels. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
- Spoon half the dough into the prepared pan and press/spread it into an even layer. If using your hands to press it down, flour your hands first. This is a sticky dough.
- For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar on top of the bottom layer, reserving 1 teaspoon for the top. Flour your hands, take a handful of the remaining dough and press it between your hands to flatten it. Place it on top of the cinnamon swirl layer. Repeat with the remaining dough, a handful at a time, re-flouring your hands as often as needed. Lay the “shingles” of dough gently next to one another, sort of like puzzle pieces. It’s ok if some of the cinnamon-sugar layer is exposed/not covered. Press the remaining white chocolate morsels into the top, and then lightly sprinkle the surface with remaining cinnamon-sugar.
- Bake until golden brown, about 32–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs. Avoid over-baking.
- Cool completely in the pan set on a cooling rack, about 1 hour. Once cool, lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment overhang on the sides, and cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover bars at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Bars freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to snickerdoodles, as well as extra chewiness, and is the main ingredient that sets them apart from sugar cookies. If you don’t have any, you can skip it; you won’t really notice anything is missing.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Delicious! Brought this to a potluck And people raved about them! I did think the layering was tricky but I followed your tips and it was a great success!
Thank you for the amazing recipe
I made these to add to my holiday treat plate, AMAZING!! I froze a few leftovers and they were just as good as fresh. Its a keeper.
These were gone immediately! So much better than plain Snicker doodles. I cut them into 1 inch squares. They are moist and rich.
These are delicious! We made them over the holidays and they didn’t last long! We will be saving this recipe!
These were absolutely delicious! I think even better than snickerdoodles. I will be making this recipe over and over. We loved them!
Hi Sally, just wanted to thank you so much for this recipe!! My family loves them. I will definitely be making them again.
How do you get cozy in a cookie? Make these snickerdoodle blondies. I plan to make them again for a hygge themed gathering.
Delicious! I didn’t have a 9” pan so I used an 8”. I baked them for about 42 minutes and they were perfect!
Hi Sally! Do I need to do the two layers? Could I just put all the batter in the pan and then top with cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate chips? Thanks!
Hi Sophie! You could, but the cinnamon sugar mixture would fall off.
I made these last night for New years Eve! What a hit! I found the perfect time to eat them was 90 minutes after taking them out of the oven. They easily removed from the pan but also still a little warm and soft. My snickerdoodle loving kids ate them all.
I made these for our Christmas gathering, and also mailed another batch off to my God children- they are so excited- absolutely delicious
Hello I love this recipe. I want to make them
For NYE party – there are some gluten intolerant people going. Can this bake be made GF? Thanks
Hi Frencesca, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so are unsure of the results. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
These were delicious. If made without any chips, will they fit in an 8×8 pan for thicker bars?
Hi Chris, the bars will be thicker so you’ll need to bake for longer; we are not sure of the exact bake time.
Normally LOVE your stuff, but I cannot recommend these. The batter is terribly dry. Made them multiple times to verify my terchnique, etc. I have a side baking business for events and such. At least to my palette, there is too little fat for a moist consistency. Again, normally adore your recipes!! Thank you for your site.
Hi Jody, I’m wondering if something was accidentally mis-measured or left out? Because this should be a very wet, creamy, and soft batter. Regardless, thank you for the feedback.
These are absolutely delicious. They flew off the plate. Has anyone tried them with cup for cup gluten free flour?
These were incredible!!! Followed the directions to a T and turned out perfectly
I just made these tonight. I did 1.5 recipes for a 13×9 pan. They are perfection. Thank you!
Absolutely AMAZING! I made these in an 8×8 pan and cooked for about 10-12 minutes longer and they came out better than I could have imagined. My dad is going through chemo and radiation and requested my snickerdoodles before he loses all tastebuds and appetite so I made him these instead and WOW. They are so chewy and so thick and absolutely perfect. I have been nominated to make 3 batches of these for Christmas this year. My new favorite recipe from you Sally!
A definite keeper. So good!
Made these last night and oh dang, they’re SO GOOD! Just like the cookies! I cut them smaller so they’re more bite-sized. Perfect for cookie trays!
Could you substitute semi sweet chips for white chips? Or maybe add apple slices instead?
Hi Heather, you can absolutely sub in semi-sweet chocolate chips. I’m unsure about the apple slices. The more add-ins you’re adding, the more dough you have and the bars may not bake through properly unless you use a bigger pan. You may enjoy these apple blondies instead.
I baked these in an 8″ pan for about 30 minutes. I tested and toothpick came out with just some moist crumbs. Let them cool as directed. Looks like they did not get fully cooked – very soggy in the middle. Plus, sweetness is overwhelming. No balance. Usually love your recipes, but this was a big miss for me.
Hi Lisa, an 8-inch pan is too small for these so I am not surprised they didn’t bake properly. Thanks for the feedback on the flavor. Did you reduce or leave out the salt? They should have a nice balance, but obviously be sweet!
Is an 8×8 pan ok if I bake slightly longer?
Yes, the bars will be thicker so you’ll need to bake for longer; we are not sure of the exact bake time.
Hi Sally! Can i use a glass baking pan or does it have to be metal?
Hi Amanda, you can use a glass baking pan for these, yes!
These Snickerdoodle Blondies are delicious! Just made them yesterday and are almost gone already. I topped mine with a cookie butter drizzle – YUM! Will make these again real soon.
Thanks so much for this and the many other recipes I’ve gotten from your website. Always reliable results.
Faith G, – what is a cookie butter drizzle? Sounds interesting.
They are in the oven now. Snickerdoodles AND blondies? How could I resist? And they are much easier to make than I thought.
These are Blue Ribbon worthy! I always try to (unobtrusively) observe my taste testers initial reactions to new baked goods and this had all the best ones, the silence, the eyebrow lift, the smile and the “oh wow, these are delicious!”. Great recipe.
Can i double the recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies and bake it in a 9×13 or 10×14 pan? Will the final product be similar to baking it in a 9×9 pan?
Hi Margaret, there would be too much dough for a 9×13 pan if you double the recipe, but you could try 1.5x-ing the recipe instead. We’re unsure of the bake time, so keep an eye on it.
Hi Sally and Merry Christmas to you and your staff.
Can you make these using gluten free powder?
Hi Rachel, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so are unsure of the results. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
Hi, is there a substitute for cream of tartar that I can use in this Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe
Hi Nika, you can simply leave it out if you don’t have cream of tartar.