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Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars

Pumpkin snickerdoodle bars with a cinnamon-sugar crust and a soft, chewy pumpkin center. You’ll bake them just until set at 350°F for that tender, lightly caramelized top.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp cinnamon for cinnamon sugar top
cream of tartar
  • 0.5 tsp cream of tartar
  • 0.25 tsp cream of tartar for cinnamon sugar top
nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
unsalted butter
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
granulated sugar
  • 1.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar for cinnamon sugar top
pumpkin puree
  • 0.33 cup pumpkin puree (blotted dry)
eggs
  • 2 eggs
vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 pan so the bars release cleanly after baking.
  2. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.
  3. Whisk the melted unsalted butter and granulated sugar, then add the blotted pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture until just combined, then spread the batter evenly into the greased pan.
Cinnamon sugar top and bake
  1. Mix the cinnamon sugar top (granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cream of tartar) and sprinkle it generously over the entire surface as a thick, even layer.
  2. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until the bars are just set and the top looks lightly caramelized; do not overbake for a chewy texture.
Finish
  1. Cool completely before cutting so the chewy interior sets up and slices stay neat.

Notes

For the best chewy texture, bake only until the center is just set—start checking at 25 minutes. Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days. Freeze baked bars up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant-butter replacement (solid-style) in place of the unsalted butter.