If You Bake One Thing This Month, Let It Be These Easy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bar

If super-soft pumpkin cookies and classic snickerdoodles joined forces as a bar cookie, this is exactly what you’d get. These bars taste like fall and are the most perfect dessert mash-up. While the warm spices and caramel-like sweetness of these bars always win me over on the first bite, it’s the soft and moist texture that keeps me going back for a second (fair warning — it’s all too easy to grab a second helping). They’re not as plush as a cake, but also not dense like a classic blondie.

This easy dessert is quick and simple enough to make on a weeknight, and the batter gets mixed together in a single bowl by hand. Between the pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and spiced-sugar topping, these bars totally celebrate the season.

Why You’ll Love It

• They’re easy enough to bake on a weeknight. My approach to baking is that simple is best. These bars get mixed together by hand in a single mixing bowl — no need to take your stand mixer out for this one!

• They freeze like a dream. Every time I make these, I cut about half the batch into bite-size pieces and stash them in the freezer. I thaw them at room temp, and they’re perfect when I want a nibble of something sweet in the afternoon or after dinner, or when friends drop by and I need a little something to put out at the last minute.

Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

• Pumpkin purée. Canned pumpkin is most convenient (just be sure to buy purée, not pie filling), but you can always make your own if you’re game for a project. Leftover pumpkin purée can be stirred into oatmeal, marinara sauce, soup, and chili, or just freeze it for later.

• Brown sugar. Both light and dark brown sugar work well here, so use what you have handy.

• Pumpkin pie spice. This is both added to the batter for the bars and mixed with granulated sugar for a crunchy, spiced, snickerdoodle-inspired topping.

• Cream of tartar. This pantry ingredient is a must for anything snickerdoodle-related. It’s what gives the cookies the signature snickerdoodle flavor as well as some rise.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars Recipe

Everything you love about soft pumpkin cookies and classic snickerdoodles in a bar.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 28 minutes to 30 minutes

Makes 9 bars

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

• Cooking spray or butter

• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided

• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.

2. Place 1 stick unsalted butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until mostly melted, 50 to 60 seconds (it will melt completely as it sits). (Alternatively, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.) Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to form a sling. Lightly coat the pan and parchment with cooking spray or butter. Place 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Add the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup pumpkin purée, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the butter. Stir with a flexible spatula until smooth and glossy.

5. Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda over the pumpkin mixture. Add 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour and stir with the spatula until a thick batter forms.

6. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the top. Lightly press the sugar into the top with your fingers or the spatula.

7. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the edges pull away slightly from the pan and are firm, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs, 13 to 15 minutes more.

8. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the blondie slab out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 9 squares.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Further Reading

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