loveysoven

Snickerdoodles have always been one of my favorite cookies, so when I was pondering ideas for brownies and bars, these naturally came to mind.  They’ve got all the deliciousness of the original, but you don’t have to roll all of the little balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  So hard, I know.

I’ve actually made these twice this month.  The first time was at the beginning of the month, for a shelter dinner.  I forgot, however, to take pictures before I handed them over, so knew I was destined to make them again.  Yesterday while running errands, I realized that I was getting into a rut of baking mostly on Sundays, so the same people (two sets of coworkers) were always getting the results on Mondays.  Basically, the midweek and weekend crews were getting shafted.

By the time we got home (from the restaurant supply store, woohoo!!), I had less than two hours to figure out what to make before I’d be leaving the house again.  Snickerdoodle bars!  Seriously, they are so easy it’s almost embarrassing.  So I whipped up a batch, let them cool briefly before cutting, and then ran out the door.  The Saturday tasters were delighted to be remembered, and all enjoyed the bars.  They actually taste best when you let them sit for a day or two, so the flavors can really meld together, but they rarely last long enough for people to discover that.

SNICKERDOODLE BARS

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a 9×13 pan.
• Beat butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
• In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
• Add flour mixture gradually, until all is well blended.
• Spread the dough evenly in the 9×13 pan.  It’s rather sticky, so you might want to spray your hands or spatula (whichever you’re using) with some non-stick spray.
• Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and then sprinkle evenly over the dough.  Yes, use all of it – it’s not too much.
• Bake for 30 minutes, and then let cool completely before cutting.