Snickerdoodle bars

Snickerdoodle Bars

My poor kids.  They’ve been feeling so deprived.  Last night after dinner, Sam literally walked back and forth from the pantry to the cupboard to the fridge, aimlessly searching for a dessert.  Did I say deprived?  Maybe I mean spoiled.  But in only the best possible way.

With all the cake baking frenzy that’s been going on around here, I’ve really neglected our usual sweet treats and the kids are feeling the pain.  Not just my kids either.  The neighbor kids too.

We’ve all seen the snickerdoodle bars everywhere we look, right?  I can’t even remember the first time I saw them anymore.  They are literally all over the place.  I figured it was about time for me to jump on the snickerdoodle bandwagon and bake up a batch.  I am so glad I finally did.

I’ll admit I kind of screwed up at the end though.  The recipe calls for a sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg mixture to be sprinkled on the top of the bars.  Well.  If you can picture me at the counter at 7:15 this morning making these and Sam right at my elbow begging and pleading for me to teach him how to do cat’s cradle with a string, then you can understand why I didn’t read the measurements correctly.  Do my bars look a little heavy on the cinnamon?  That’s because they are.  Luckily, I caught my mistake really quickly and was able to fix it up quite a bit.  Having some extra cinnamon on top sure didn’t do these amazing bars any harm.  They are delicious and I’ll be making them often.  Really often.  I think they rank right up there with the sugar cookie bars for ease and utter wonderfulness.

I sent some happy kids to the bus stop this morning, munching on snickerdoodle bars.  I was watching at the door and they were yelling back to me how great they were.  Oh, and Sam is now a pro at the whole cat’s cradle thing.  Now that’s a good way to start your day.

Recipe:  Snickerdoodle Bars

2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. salt

2 c. packed light brown sugar

1 c. butter, softened

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease or line a 9×13″ baking pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

In large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.  Beat until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended.  Spread evenly into prepared pan with greased spatula or hands.  Combine topping: granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top of batter.

Bake 25 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed.  Cool.  Makes 24 bars.