Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
These Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars are soft and chewy with rich pumpkin spice flavor and a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. It's like a slightly thicker, almost fudgier version of a snickerdoodle cookie with Fall flavors. I absolutely love these for how simple they are to prepare and their warming aroma with rich buttery cinnamon and pumpkin flavors. They are so quick and easy to make with few pantry ingredients, and the batter comes together all in one bowl then baked all in one pan. You can slice them as big or small as you'd like to serve when you have guests. If you love pumpkin desserts, I highly recommend you also try my Chewy Pumpkin Cookies and my Mini Pumpkin Donut Muffins. These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are also a huge hit during the Fall.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Quick and easy to make - these pumpkin snickerdoodle bars come together so quickly in one bowl and it all gets baked in one pan with no chill time so you can have them ready in just about 30 minutes!
- Pure pumpkin flavor - there's ⅓ cup of pure pumpkin puree in the cookie dough and you don't need to blot or dry it out before using it.
- Soft and chewy texture - these bars are so chewy! They are not cakey like a lot of pumpkin bars can be.
- Pumpkin spice bars - a fragrant blend of cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice and nutmeg adds warm cozy flavor to these cookies.
- Cinnamon sugar - the cinnamon sugar coating becomes crunchy, especially around the edge pieces and it makes these absolutely irresistible.
- No chill time - making bars means there is no chill time required for the dough.
INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE BARS
- Butter - you'll need to melt butter for this recipe, and you can use unsalted or salted butter. If you use salted butter, then reduce the added salt by half. It's easy since you will melt it for this cookie dough so it means no waiting for butter to soften!
- Brown sugar - this recipe uses all brown sugar. The molasses in brown sugar gives these cookies a rich toffee-like flavor and a chewy texture. You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar and the difference is that they will have a stronger molasses flavor with dark brown and they'll also have a slightly softer texture.
- Canned pumpkin - canned pumpkin is easily accessible and inexpensive. I recommend using store-bought pumpkin since it is more consistent. If you make your own, it is important to reduce it down so it is very thick otherwise the moisture balance will be off in the recipe. You do not need to dry out or blot out the pumpkin puree since it is the only source of moisture in this recipe.
- Pure vanilla extract - I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- Pumpkin pie spice - use your favorite brand, or make your own from a blend of 1 part nutmeg, clove and allspice with 2 parts ginger and 3 parts cinnamon.
- Cinnamon sugar - the cinnamon sugar coating is quintessential for snickerdoodles and these bars are no different. It gives them a nice crunchy top, lots of cinnamon flavor and it caramelizes around the edges for a lovely crunch.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE
To make pumpkin pie spice at home, blend certain proportions of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove. Here is my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice that yields about 3 tablespoons of total spice.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE BARS
- STEP 1). Mix wet ingredients. Combine melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to blend until smooth.
- STEP 2). Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix it together to blend evenly.
- STEP 3). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add this to the butter mixture and use a rubber spatula fold it in until just combined. Spread the thick batter into prepared pan.
- STEP 4). Make the cinnamon sugar. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.
- STEP 5). Assemble bars. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of cinnamon sugar over top and swirl it in with a knife or an offset spatula. It will rough up the batter as it will be thick but that's OK. Pat it down flat again with your hands. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top.
- STEP 6). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are browned and the center looks puffed and slightly cracked.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Measure the flour accurately to ensure you get the right texture. Too much flour will make these bars dry and too little will mean that they will be too flat.
- Do not skip the cinnamon sugar. The sugar on the exterior of the cookie dough is what makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle, and it also creates the nice cracks and crevices on the surface as well as crunchy edges.
- Make your own pumpkin spice. It is so easy and my recipe is perfectly balanced.
RECIPE FAQ
If you choose to use brown butter for this recipe, the bars will be very flavorful, however they will be a bit more crumbly. If you would like to try this, I'd suggest adding an egg yolk or an additional tablespoon of pumpkin puree to make up for the moisture loss and help provide some body. When you brown butter, you don't just lose moisture, you actually change the physical structure of butter and it becomes more brittle instead of pliable. Therefore, the resulting bars will be less chewy and more crumbly if you do not take this into consideration. Also, be sure to monitor the baking time as baked goods with brown butter tend to dry out faster.
Yes! Salted butter will be fine. In this case I would suggest to use a level ¼ teaspoon of salt instead of a heaped ¼ teaspoon.
I use canned pumpkin puree for baking for two main reasons: 1). Consistency - if I buy the same brand all the time then I am guaranteed to have the same results. Homemade pumpkin puree will vary in moisture content depending on how long you cook it; and 2). Ease! - it's so much easier to use canned pumpkin and the quality is just as good.
No, you do not need to blot the pumpkin for this recipe since there is no egg and the pumpkin puree is the main source of moisture here.
If your bars didn't rise much, it is likely that you didn't add enough flour, the butter was too hot or they were under-baked. Be sure to measure your flour accurately with a kitchen scale to get the right amount.
These bars are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week. They stay nice and soft and chewy!
Yes, you can freeze these bars. You can freeze the whole slab, or freeze the sliced bars after they cool completely. Place them in a resealable freezer bag and keep them frozen for up to 3 months. If you want them to keep longer, wrap them individually in plastic wrap before placing in the freezer bag.
If you love cookies, check out these recipes!
Chewy Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Cookies Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Brown Butter M&M Cookies Recipe Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks Coffee Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies Hazelnut Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies THE BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Bakery Style!Craving more pumpkin?
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Video
Chewy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
Ingredients
Pumpkin batter:
- ½ cup (113g) salted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (165g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp (75ml) pure pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp (160g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon sugar:
- 3 tablespoon (40g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine melted butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to blend until smooth.
- Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix it together to blend evenly. Add this to the butter mixture and use a rubber spatula fold it in until just combined. Spread the thick batter into prepared pan using a small offset spatula.
- Make the cinnamon sugar. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of cinnamon sugar over top and swirl it in with a knife or an offset spatula. It will rough up the batter as it will be thick but that's OK. Pat it down flat again with your hands. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are browned and the center looks puffed and slightly cracked.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before lifting out of the pan using the parchment overhang and cutting into squares.
Another tasty recipe! I like that this one is mostly quick and easy (resurfacing the batter to a level state after swirling in the cinnamon sugar took some time).
You can taste the pumpkin! And I appreciate the contrast of the salt against the sweetness and the spices.
I couldn't give this 5 stars because it was too sweet - would you be able to make a recommendation on how to cut back on the sweetness (by 1/4-1/3) without affecting the science/chemistry behind the bake?
Thank you!
You are welcome Sharon! The sugar is important for the texture. The easiest way to reduce sugar would be to reduce the amount of sugar topping, but you will lose a bit of the snickerdoodle look.
This is a super easy recipe! I've tried this recipe with both butter and unrefined coconut oil as a vegan substitute (1:1 ratio). No other substitutions. Both batches yielded good results. While the coconut oil batch was more moist, I personally prefer the flavor of butter.
Hi Dee, thanks for sharing your results! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
this recipe was so delicious and so easy!! Perfect to bring to parties- I’ll definitely be making it for my Thanksgiving table.
Thank you for an amazing recipe!
You are welcome Tori! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Like many recipes I have tried here, this one does not disappoint! Super delicious and consumed in no time. Perfect for the holidays with coffee or tea 🙌
Thank you Danny! Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
These are great and incredibly easy to make! Thank you for the great recipe!
Thank you so much Dani!
These were great! Loved how the recipe was so easy and it's a perfect treat for the afternoon.
Thank you Valerie, I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
Hello. I’d like to make these for guests tomorrow but pumpkin puree doesn’t appear on ingredient list of the recipe card. Please update and confirm the amount. Thank you!
Thanks Joanna! Yes it has been corrected.
I've made these twice this weekend. The second time in a Baker's Edge pan so that every bite can have crispy edge
Thank you Annmartina!