Easy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
Turns out, pumpkin and snickerdoodles were meant to be friends! These easy pumpkin snickerdoodle bars are soft and scrumptious!
One bowl pumpkin snickerdoodle bars? Oh yes, I’m all in.
Snickerdoodles are rarely my cookie of choice, but apparently when you throw in a little pumpkin, they become irresistible to this snobby snickerdoodle palate.
These bars are so soft with an almost melt-in-your mouth perfect texture.
And thanks to a few little tweaks, they defy the ultra cakey vibe that almost always accompanies pumpkin baked goods.
Modeled after perfection
When I decided to go after a pumpkin snickerdoodle bar recipe, I had no idea it would be so hard to get just right.
I was a little embarrassed and irritated at myself when after the 5th fail, I remembered these amazing pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Why hadn’t I started there in the first place?
(Clearly I don’t learn lessons very quickly – same thing happened with this Instant Pot recipe).
Those pumpkin cookies are best-ever because they are soft and chewy instead of cakey and fluffy, which is rare for a pumpkin baked good.
I wanted the same vibe for these pumpkin snickerdoodle bars.
No Eggs
What’s the secret? Well, the reason these bars are different from most other pumpkin bar recipes out there is because there are no eggs.
Using canned pumpkin PLUS eggs magnifies the cakey factor. Which is great when you want pumpkin cake. But not so great when you want a slightly firmer, less cakey bar cookie.
Leaving out the eggs doesn’t ruin the recipe like you might think. It actually helps us out a lot here.
And trust me, I’m grateful for this epiphany because I did not want to make these bars ten more times.
No offense, little miss pumpkin snickerdoodle bars. You’re amazing. But even amazing things can get old after a while.
Cinnamon and sugar for the win
The delectable cinnamon +sugar topping gives these bars a signature snickerdoodle vibe AND provides the most delicious, crunchy, top crust.
It definitely becomes one of the most delightful parts of these bars.
I’m a chocolate loving girl through and through, but I cannot be left alone with a pan of these bars. Simple but tasty, they tempt me beyond reason.
We managed to discover, in making these bars a million and a half times, that they are also crazy, crazy, crazy good just ever so slightly warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce.
So yes, these easy pumpkin snickerdoodle bars are perfect for making and eating out of hand, just like you would a brownie or a cookie.
But they are also moonlighting as possibly one of the best decadent fall desserts ever.
While they are fantastic basically straight from the oven, the flavor actually gets better with time, and they taste even better the next day.
FAQs for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies
I haven’t tried that myself, but several people have used a gluten free flour blend in the cookie recipe these bars were based off of with good results.
Yes, this recipe can be cut in half and baked in an 8X8-inch pan. Watch the baking time closely and check after about 17 minutes.
I’m sorry you feel this way – I hope we can still be friends! This is the best ratio I could find for the perfect texture. I suggest freezing the rest of the pumpkin in the can. It can quickly be defrosted when you need to use it and it won’t go bad languishing in the back of your refrigerator.
I haven’t tried that but you could experiment – I’d suggest only subbing in applesauce for half of the butter. I’m 99% sure it will change the texture of the bars and make them either more cakey or more dense or both.
Store them well-covered in a tight container or bag. I like to keep them in the refrigerator, but they can be stored at room temperature as well.
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Easy Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons water (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (355 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Topping:
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 9X13-inch pan with foil or parchment and lightly grease with cooking spray. (Glass, ceramic or dark-coated pans may not bake as evenly, consider reducing temperature to 325 degrees.)
- In an electric mixer (handheld or stand), add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, and mix until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin, water, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and allspice and mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and sprinkle evenly across the top of the bars.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until set around the edges and still soft (but not raw) in the center. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Serve at room temp or chilled (also delicious lightly warmed with a scoop of ice cream).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted from this best-ever pumpkin cookie recipe)
I am wondering how these would be with chocolate ganache on top? I want to make these for a friend that is a chocoholic.
Definitely worth a try!
Oh never mind! I see it was supposed to be 1 cup of sugar. Sorry! My mistake.
Hi Mel, this recipe is so delicious! However, did you mean 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to 1 tsp of sugar for the topping? Mine had more cinnamon on top than what yours looks like. Just wondering! Thanks!
Another winning recipe; thanks, Mel! I liked how easy these were to cut and put on a plate, as well as their light and delicious texture. Was looking for something pumpkin-y to bake that was just a little different, and this fit the bill.
These are absolutely delicious! Very moist and amazing flavor. Thank You!
I’m wondering if anyone has tried freezing these? I have pumpkin puree I want to use up but given the recent influx of exciting candy, we don’t need much for other sweets in the house right now!
These freeze great!
Made these twice in one week! 💕 Once a little over mixed and once, just combined. For realz, don’t over mix! And for sure make these 🫶 the texture and flavor are. awesome!
These are awesome! I love making one pan instead of portioning out lots of cookies. I followed the recipe exactly and since I was using a glass pan I baked it at 325 for 45 minutes. These are nicely moist with that delicious cinnamon sugar to top it off. This will be a fall go-to for me 🙂
We loved these!!! You’d included this recipe in a recent email–7 Pumpkin Recipes You Need to Make ASAP–and this was the one I could manage asap haha. It was phenomenal! Pumpkin things can be iffy in my house and snickerdoodles are too. These, however, managed to win the hearts of all. They are delicious warm, at room temperature, and with or without ice cream. Adding to the favorites list! 🙂
I’m so happy to read this! Glad they were a hit!
Sounds amazing I want to make this! Can I substitute something for the cream of tartar? I do not have that on hand. Thank you!
If leaving out the cream of tartar, increase the baking powder to 1 teaspoon.
Amazing! I made a pan and gave them to my kids. Came home and immediately made a pan for us! So so so good! And I love your cookbook too! You’ve been my “go to” for years—thank you!
Ah, thank you so much, Kristen!!
These are so YUM!
These turned out very good. I did decrease the sugar from 1 C to 3/4 cup. I also sprinkled mine with just brown sugar and cinnamon vs what the recipe calls for. I did not a lot.
What should the consistancy of the batter be like?
It is fairly thick.
These are amazing!! One of my favorite MKC recipes for sure! My whole family loved them!
These may be my favorite thing I have ever baked! So delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Mel, I have been a fan of your recipes for years but never commented until now. My husband hates snickerdoodle cookies and anything with pumpkin but humored me by trying these bars. He loves them! It defies all logic. You are a genius. Thank you for giving me a recipe to satisfy my fall-obsessed heart, as well as my picky husband’s taste buds!
I loved reading this – thanks, Jenna! Way to go on the pumpkin bars!
Mel, something about your flour measurement puzzles me. The recipe states 2 1/2 cups of AP flour, but across the board, almost every measurement conversion website agrees that there are 120 grams per cup of flour. Based on the 2 1/2 cup recipe, that would work out to 300 grams, not 355. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do a lot of baking, always using weight measurements rather than volume. Hence I regularly use the 120 gram per cup standard on AP flour with consistent and satisfactory results. I’m aware that different flours have different weights, cake, almond, pizza etc., but this recipe states all purpose. Just before I added my flour to this recipe a light bulb went on and I thought to myself, wait a minute this looks like too much flour. I went back and did the math and I reduce my flour measurement by 55 g. The recipe came out excellently. Not a criticism just an observation. Fill me in on the specifics if you have time. Thanks a lot, I really enjoy your website.
Hi Pete, thanks for your comment. Actually, there are many trusted sources (such as Americas Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated) that use right around 140 grams per cup of flour. My standard is 142 grams of flour per cup and I test all of my recipes using that amount. The reason why is because I’m wanting recipes that are approachable to home cooks – not all home cooks have a kitchen scale. It’s nearly impossible to scoop flour into a cup at the low weight of 120 grams per cup (without taking special care to scoop lightly and level off). Most home cooks use the scoop and level method which makes for more flour per cup, hence the 142 grams of flour per cup. Either way, I highly recommend readers to use the weights in a given recipe even if personally they use a different measurement, because chances are that recipe has been tested with the weights given. It’s not recommended to change the weight measures in a recipe as it can compromise the outcome of the recipe. If the recipe came out delicious even with less flour, that means it’s a versatile recipe! 🙂 But I use the full 355 grams of flour when I make them. Thanks for the question and comment – hopefully my answer helps shed a bit of light as to why I use the weight measures I do.
Amazing Mel. So simple too. Every member of my family has commented on these bars today. My husband was referring to them as bread, I corrected him. He quickly replied with – please let me call me them bread, it makes them seem healthy that way. 🙂
These are soooooooooooo good. We had some gluten-free friends over for dinner, so I made them using Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour and they were perfect!!!!! If I hadn’t made them myself, I would not have even known they were gluten free. I also love the way and sugar and cinnamon formed a slightly crunchy layer on top. I will absolutely be making these again!!
I made this as written, (in grams too) with the only change using turbinado sugar in the topping. Unfortunately, it cut crumbly & stuck to the greased foil. I used my USA pan which requires no coating or lining & I should have made it that way. It tasted good but I like a lot of pumpkin flavor & should have added my homemade pumpkin pie spice, Sorry.
Hi, Mel! My family would actually love if these bars were cakey, lol. Would I just add an egg or two when I mix in the pumpkin? Thanks so much! Love your blog!
I think that would do the trick, Kristen! Either more eggs or more pumpkin (and then you might want to increase the flour just a tad).
Simple to make and delicious! I used 2 TB of pumpkin spice in the bar batter and 1 tsp in the topping. Turned out great. Oh and NO way did we get 24 servings out of this pan.
These are just plain delicious! Easy to make and well I had to taste them to make sure they were alright. They do not disappoint. Thanks for another fabulous recipe.
Thanks, Michele!
I have made this recipe as written, gluten free, and vegan using coconut oil instead of butter. I have even made this with less sugar for my daughter with Type 1 Diabetes. All of these were fabulous! I haven’t come up with a completely sugar free version that tastes good yet, but I will keep trying. Thank you, Mel, for a wonderful and easy recipe!
Made them for Thanksgiving dinner. Delicious.
Also, made them with half sugars (still plenty sweet), whole wheat flour (couldn’t tell), extra pumpkin (texture was AMAZING), and double cinnamon. I would lower the salt a bit next time, but wouldn’t touch anything else.
They were still great. Everyone wanted the recipe.
These worked great using King Arthur’s gluten free 1 to 1 flour blend. I did have to bake them for twice as long (maybe even longer) which was probably also a result of using a glass pan and, thus, cooking at 325.
Thanks, Mel!