Nutella Snickerdoodle Bars

My friend occasionally sends me video recipes of items that she thinks I will like. Snickerdoodles are my favorite, and I love hazelnuts, so I can see why she thought I would like these. I thought that for certain I had already made these, but I checked, and I had not! I sometimes can’t follow a video that well, so I wrote down the recipe and instructions and knew that I wanted to make these right away.

I was intrigued by this recipe, as the first thing you do is create a layer of Nutella by spreading it in a pan and freezing it. This is brilliant, as it helps the Nutella keep its shape while baking. Some folks commented that the Nutella needs to be thoroughly frozen; I froze mine for about 2 hours, but I honestly didn’t track it specifically. Don’t skip on this step.

The frozen Nutella is one part and classic snickerdoodle dough is the other. The dough is exactly as expected. You place half of the dough in the pan and then top with the Nutella. The top layer is a little more tricky, as you want an even layer. I took pieces of dough, flattened them and put together the top layer. That way, you didn’t have to attempt to spread the dough, which likely wouldn’t work. These cookies are so good! They have the lovely snickerdoodle flavor with the added decadence of Nutella. 

Nutella Snickerdoodle Bars
1 cup Nutella
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon sugar

Line a 9” square pan with foil. Spread the Nutella in the pan in an even layer. Freeze the Nutella for at least an hour.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an additional 9” square pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix again on medium to incorporate. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and baking powder. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until the dough just comes together. 

Divide the dough into two halves. Press one half evenly into the prepared pan. Place the frozen layer of Nutella on top of the dough. Top with an even layer of the remaining dough. I found it best to flatten the dough slightly and then piece together the top layer. Press down to seal the dough. Sprinkle the top of the cookies with about 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, until browned along the edges. Allow the bars to cool completely. Once cool, remove from the pan, peel away the foil, and cut into bars. 

Recipe from A Little Calm

Sand Dollar Cookies

I was looking for a simple cookie that shouted summer and with the help of my husband, I found quite a few recipes that sounded wonderful. Some of them called for some ingredients I don’t have, but I plan to make some of those recipes soon. These cookies, which look like sand dollars that you would find at the beach, were summery and easy.

These cookies are basically snickerdoodles topped with some sliced almonds. Snickerdoodles are a favorite of mine so how could I pass that up? The recipe is a little different from the snickerdoodle recipe I often use, but there are many similarities. You top these with sliced almonds, to mimic the look of the sand dollar. I used the sliced almonds that don’t have skins, which I special order, but you could also use sliced almonds with skins, which are common at most grocery stores in the States.

While I made a half recipe of these cookies, I did make them of the size that was recommended. The cookies are quite a bit larger than I sometimes make, but I wasn’t sure if the size was needed due to the addition of almond slices. I think I was fine, but I could have placed the almond slices a little closer together, closer to the center top of the cookie. I really like these, because in all honesty they are snickerdoodles and I love snickerdoodles!

Sand Dollar Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 and 1/3 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour     
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

About 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir on medium to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Shape the dough into large dough balls (about 30 grams each) and then roll the balls in cinnamon sugar. Press five sliced almonds in a circle onto the top of each cookie ball.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Cinnamon Sugar Blondies

I was planning what cookies to bake, something that would make a decent-sized batch that I could take and share with others. I had my recipe all planned and there was only one ingredient that I needed to get. I thought that was great but then did that final check on my blog and I had made those cookies previously. Once I made a recipe I typically move that recipe to a different Pinterest board, but I guess I hadn’t done that. I’ve been blogging for a long time so I suppose that is bound to happen.

I adjusted and decided to make these cinnamon sugar blondies instead. While I have made similar recipes, this one was new to me. Anything with cinnamon sugar or anything snickerdoodle-like is well received, so I figured these would be a good choice. I had everything on hand, so great! I usually have cinnamon sugar on hand, if you want to make your own I use 3-parts sugar to 1-part cinnamon. You can adjust your ratio depending on your taste.

These bars are simple, just using brown sugar, and then the cinnamon sugar goes on top of the dough before baking. Depending on how dark your cinnamon sugar is, it may be difficult to tell when the bars are done. Mine didn’t quite seem done after 25 minutes, but perhaps the few extra minutes was too much. The glaze is nice, and it does spread but I liked that. It didn’t fully cover the bars, but it was close! These bars are simple bit very tasty. I am used to the flavor of a snickerdoodle, which is slightly different, but they are very yummy.

Cinnamon Sugar Blondies  
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2-4 tablespoon milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Top the dough with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, until the bars begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Allow the bars to cool for 30 minutes before adding the glaze.

Make the glaze: in a small bowl whisk the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and whisk until the glaze comes together. If needed, add additional milk to make the glaze more spreadable. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bars in a crisscross pattern. Allow the glaze to set before cutting into bars.

Recipe from This Delicious House

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars

If you follow this blog at all, you will likely know that snickerdoodles are my favorite thing to make. It was the first cookie I recall baking, and that is something that is good to start with. Some folks are very protective about their favorite recipe, but I grew up with the recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook. They aren’t fancy but they taste exactly the way they should taste.

Over the years, there have been many variations of snickerdoodle recipes. Sometimes, I feel like anything that contains cinnamon sugar is name “snickerdoodle” and that doesn’t feel right. Usually, I expect snickerdoodles to contain cream of tartar. Again, that is what I am used to baking. These bars don’t contain cream of tartar, but they smelled like a classic snickerdoodle while baking.

I have made snickerdoodles with white chocolate filling, but never a cheesecake filling. I was a little surprised that I hadn’t made something similar to this, as the flavors naturally go together so well. You have to pay attention to the recipe, as you make parts then wait until you assemble the bars. I didn’t make a very solid layer of snickerdoodle dough on my bars, maybe covered about 60%, but this made no difference once the bars were baked. They smelled great baking, and they are great! The creamy center paired with the snickerdoodle cookie is so good. I cut the bars, and had mainly edges left and all cookies were consumed quickly.

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
16 ounces cream cheese
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

2-1/4 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the cheesecake layer: in a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium until light. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and mix again on medium until combined.

Make the snickerdoodle layer: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium until combined, then stir in the eggs and vanilla. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

In a separate bowl mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Press about half of the snickerdoodle mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Pour the cheesecake batter over the dough and spread evenly with a spatula. Break up the remaining dough into small pieces and top the cheesecake layer. Do your best to cover the bars as much as possible. Sprinkle the bars with the remaining cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until set along the edges but slightly jiggly in the center. Cool for 15 minutes on the counter and then refrigerate to cool completely. Cut into bars when completely cool. If desired, store the bars in the refrigerator.

Recipe from Delish Christmas Baking, 2023

Snickerdoodle Bars with White Chocolate Ganache

Snickerdoodles are the first cookie I remember making, and they are my favorite. I have baked a number of different snickerdoodle items, and sometimes they are more “snickerdoodle” but at other times it seems like other call any item with cinnamon a snickerdoodle. This recipe does fall more in the latter category, but they are excellent any way you look at them.

This recipe is assembled in an unusual way! I picked up a new jelly roll pan, 10” x 15” x 1”. Many pans are about that size, but so few of them have the full 1” sides. You need some depth when you’re making a bar cookie or a jelly roll. You bake the cookie in the pan, and once cooled, cut the rectangle into smaller rectangles, which become the bottom and the top of the cookies. And you sandwich the two rectangles together with white chocolate ganache.

I have made ganache, but I also know that white chocolate can be fussy. I used my regular method, of putting hot cream on white chocolate chips and letting it sit, then whisking until it’s a proper ganache. It’s too thin at this point, so you have to let it cool for about an hour before it works as a filling. I really wasn’t sure, but I assembled the bars and then chilled them before cutting. They turned out perfectly, just like the photos in the original blog post! I was thrilled! These bars are very rich, but very much worth making.

Snickerdoodle Bars with White Chocolate Ganache
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10” x 15” jelly roll pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. (Use baking spray with flour if you have it.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar and beat on medium until light, about three minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir on medium until combined. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture, stirring until the mixture forms a dough. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan. It will be sticky, so do the best that you can. Try to ensure the dough is spread as evenly as possible.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bars are golden. Allow the bars to cool completely before proceeding.

While the cookies cool (or later), make the ganache: place the white chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream until almost boiling. Pour the heated heavy cream over the white chocolate chips and allow to sit for five minutes. Using a small whisk, whisk the mixture until the chips and cream becomes a smooth and consistent ganache.

Before you can use the ganache for the filling, it needs to cool until it is a spreading consistency. If the mixture is too thin it won’t work for filling the cookies. Whisk the mixture every 15 minutes, and the ganache will reach a spreadable consistency after 50 minutes to an hour.

To assemble the cookies: remove the bars from the pan, and cut into two rectangles, about 7”x 10”. One rectangle will become the base of the bars, and the other will become the top. Spread the cooled white chocolate ganache on one of the bar cookie rectangles. Spread the ganache evenly, almost to the edges of the rectangle. Top with the remaining bar cookie rectangle. Refrigerate the bars for at least an hour to set.

Once thoroughly chilled, remove the cookie rectangle from the refrigerator and cut into bars.

Recipe from Cookies and Cups

Cinnamon Spice Cookies

I have SO MANY recipes marked as things that I would like to make, and I have to admit to myself that I will likely never make everything, but that’s ok. When I am looking for a specific type of recipe, I often find a couple of recipes that fit the bill, but then I only make one of the similar recipes. I suppose that eventually I should sort through all of my recipes, but that day hasn’t come yet. At least I do keep track of the recipes that I have made!

This week, I was looking for a nice homey cookie. I know that for many folks that means that looking at fall recipes, and I don’t disagree, but I will make a fall-style cookie any time of year. This one is somewhat like a snickerdoodle, in that they are rolled in cinnamon sugar, but the flavors are different, with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I also used vegan butter to make these dairy free, but traditional butter would work as well.

This dough looks like it has a lot of ingredients, but they are pantry staples, so I didn’t need to pick up anything at the store. The dough is very soft, and it would be impossible to bake these up before you chilled the dough. I checked the dough after two hours in the refrigerator, and while it was still soft I thought I would give it a try. The cookies baked up with no issue, although they are quite flat. When they cool they are a nice, soft, and crinkly cookie.

Cinnamon Spice Cookies
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1 tablespoon hot water
½ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup shortening
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
Cinnamon sugar, for decoration

In a small bowl, mix the instant espresso powder and hot water and stir until dissolved; set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and shortening on medium until smooth. Add the sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix again on medium to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the espresso mixture and the vanilla. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, stirring until the flour is incorporated.
The dough will be soft. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Shape the dough into 1-1/2” balls and roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Dear Crissy

Snickerdoodle Crisps

I love snickerdoodles, but there are many things out there that call themselves snickerdoodles that I don’t agree with. I suppose that I do have criteria for what is and isn’t a snickerdoodle, and if a recipe doesn’t contain a cookie that calls for cream of tartar, coupled with some sort of cinnamon sugar mixture, then I am really skeptical. This cookie fits the bill for the most part, although this version of cinnamon sugar also includes ginger and nutmeg.

I was looking for a slice-and-bake recipe, as those are convenient this time of year when the weather is warm, and my kitchen is even warmer. Strangely, all of the articles and posts that I find about slice-and-bake cookies are for Christmas cookies, but I explore the ideas anyway. While some of the cookies certainly say Christmas, many of them do not and could be made at any time. This cookie is one of those recipes that work at any time.

For this recipe, and has been true for most of the pandemic, I made a half batch, and that quantity is what is listed here. Halving the recipes makes is so you only have to form one log of dough, which is nice. I did make the full amount of the cinnamon/sugar topping as I seem to need more that what they think. These cookies are quick, I refrigerated just 2 hours, and they cut and baked beautifully. These cookies flatten as they cool, but they are crisps. They are crisp on the outside but still maintain chewiness on the inside. The addition of ginger and nutmeg adds a little spiciness to the cookies, which is quite nice!

Snickerdoodle Crisps
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. Add the egg and vanilla and stir again on medium to incorporate. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture, stirring just until the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a log, about 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Slice the log into ¼ inch slices. Add the cut cookies to the bowl with the sugar mixture and coat the cookies on both sides. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until set to the touch. The cookies will be puffy but will flatten as they cool. Once the cookies have cooled for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Jenni Sharp via Taste of Home

Gingerbread Butter Cookies

Sometime last December, I saw some gingerbread butter at the store. I like to pick up unusual ingredients when I see them, and I figure that I can find some recipe that uses the ingredient. We traveled a lot last Christmas, so I wasn’t able to use it last year. I knew that this year when I was selecting cookies that I wanted to make for Christmas, something using the gingerbread butter was top on the list.

There aren’t too many cookie recipes out there that call for gingerbread butter, so I searched for recipes using apple butter. The gingerbread butter is not actually butter, but instead a spiced spread. It is very similar to apple butter, but I looked at the ingredient list and this version has a sweet potato and brown sugar base.

These cookies are very similar to snickerdoodles. The original recipe called for apple butter and cinnamon. Since I used the gingerbread butter, I decided to add ground ginger to the dough instead of cinnamon. I thought a combination of ginger and sugar might be too potent, so I ended up making cinnamon sugar like you would for a traditional snickerdoodle, but also added a small amount of ginger. Your house will smell amazing if you make these. They are a wonderful soft cookie with great spice flavor, and something that I look forward to making again.

Gingerbread Butter Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup gingerbread butter

1/2 ground ginger

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, vanilla, ginger, and gingerbread butter. Mix again on medium to combine. The mixture may look as though it has separated slightly, but the dough will come together once the rest of the ingredients have been added.

With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll the balls in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the cookies are set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from A Latte with Ott, A

Cinnamon Chip Chai Snickerdoodles

I’m trying to get some fall baking in before the Christmas cookie season begins, and cinnamon is the perfect fall flavor. I was looking for recipes and came across an article with fall cookies and this was one of the recipes in that article. I knew I was coming home late from work, so I wanted something straight-forward. It’s also my birthday and I love snickerdoodles. So a chai cinnamon snickerdoodle sounded just perfect.

I read through the recipe and I was sure that I had all the needed ingredients, but I didn’t have enough cream of tartar, which is really odd. I make snickerdoodles frequently and cream of tartar is a key component. I had some, and you can also substitute vinegar for cream of tartar, as they are both acids. I wasn’t sure how these cookies would turn out, but I was hopeful. I don’t usually mess with the leavening agent in cookies, but I didn’t have time to go to the store. The original recipe called for cardamom in the spice mix, but I don’t care for that, so I added more ginger.

This dough is softer than traditional snickerdoodle dough, which is why it requires refrigeration. I refrigerated the dough for 90 minutes and it was still soft and a little bit sticky. The cookies shaped up just fine and despite not having the correct leavening, they baked up perfectly well. This makes a larger batch, 4 dozen, which was good in this instance as I needed to take these cookies to two different places. They have a great spiced flavor, more complex than just cinnamon would add, and my kitchen smelled divine while they were baking!

Cinnamon Chip Chai Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

10 ounces cinnamon baking chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ½ cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg; set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, shortening, sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar/spice mixture. Mix on medium until light. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again on medium until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Add the cinnamon chips and mix on low until the chips are evenly distributed in the dough. 

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats. 

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll the balls in the sugar/spice mixture. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Taste of Home