It’s that time of year again! Temperatures are turning colder, the night air is crisp, and pumpkins are showing up for sale. That’s right, it’s fall, and it’s time for me to start making fall favorites (new and old.)
If you’re a fan of pumpkin, you probably already know that the go-to spice to accompany it is cinnamon. It’s the core component of the archetypal pumpkin spice, after all. It’s a key ingredient in pumpkin cake and pumpkin bread, among other things.
What else has cinnamon in it? Well, half of everything I make, but in particular, snickerdoodles! So, when I was brainstorming fresh ideas for my fall recipe list, I remembered those snickerdoodles I made and decided, why not combine them?
Now, this recipe could probably be baked into cupcakes or even cookies, but you might want to modify it a bit. I like it in bar form, sort of like a cross between a cookie and a cake. It doesn’t use eggs, which contributes to the texture, keeping it soft and chewy, but fluffier than a brownie.
When you make these — and you’ll want to make these — be aware that the batter is really sticky, so it’s a little tricky to spread out evenly. You’ll also want to make sure you don’t over-cook it if you want it to keep its chewy texture. It will set a bit as it cools, so make sure to give it time before you try to extract it from your baking dish.
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 2½ Cups Flour
- 1 Cup Butter Softened
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Milk
- 2 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Salt
For the Topping
- ¼ Cup White Sugar
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions
Make the Topping
- In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Set aside for later.
Make the Batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
- Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and milk to the mix and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until well combined. Warning: it'll be sticky!
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Spread the batter as evenly as you can inside it.
- Sprinkle your topping across the top of the batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. You're looking for a soft but not raw center, similar to brownies. Let cool and serve!