Foodie Fridays: Snickerdoodle Bars

Since I can no longer eat much sugar, I rarely get to bake desserts any more, but recently I have been making treats for the students in my husband's class.  Students will eat just about anything, so this gives me the opportunity to try new recipes without having to finish off the end results myself!  I have had a recipe for The Best Snickerdoodle Bars on my list to try for a while now, and this week I finally got around to baking them.

If you like snickerdoodle cookies (which are very sweet, for those of you unfamiliar with them!) you will like these bars, and they are easier to make than individual drop cookies.  I doubled the recipe, but just halve all of the ingredients except the salt (which is optional anyway) and bake in an 8-inch square pan if you need less.  Thank goodness for those students, because I love snickerdoodles and having them around the house would just be too tempting!

Snickerdoodle Bars

Batter:
1 C. butter
2 eggs
1 C sugar
2/3 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping:
1/3 C. sugar
1 T. cinnamon

Microwave the butter in a large bowl until melted (about 1 minute on HIGH).  Allow to cool slightly, then beat in the eggs.  Add the sugars and vanilla and whisk until smooth.  Stir or sift in the flour,
cream of tartar, and salt just until combined (do not over mix).  Pour the batter into a 9x13-inch pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.  Smooth the top lightly with a spatula.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the batter with a small spoon.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing.  Makes 24 bars.

Notes: I used 1/2 C. sugar and 4 tsp. cinnamon for the topping, doubling the amount in the original recipe like I did for the batter, but it was way too much topping, leaving a thick dry layer on top instead of sinking into the batter.  In my recipe above I slightly decreased the amounts.  You may need to play around with the topping ingredient amounts to suit your own tastes (if you feel you made too much, the excess can be stored for other uses).  These bars will keep airtight at room temperature for about a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.