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Indulge in the ultimate snickerdoodle experience with these white chocolate snickerdoodle bars. These bars are a heavenly combination of soft, gooey snickerdoodle dough and a luscious white chocolate ganache. The cinnamon-sugar coating adds a delightful crunch, making these bars irresistible. Perfect for any occasion, these bars are sure to impress with their unique twist on the goodness of a snickerdoodle cookie.
These could also be called white chocolate snickerdoodle blondies or even bar cookie. If you are a fan of blondies or tray bakes, you need to check out my similar recipes, like Snickerdoodle Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe, Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars Recipe, and Double Peanut Butter Bars.
The Chemistry of White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Bars
The secret to these delicious white chocolate snickerdoodle bars lies in the perfect balance of ingredients and the addition of white chocolate ganache. Cream cheese and butter provide richness and moisture, creating a soft and gooey texture. Cream of tartar gives the bars their signature tang and chewy consistency, while cinnamon adds a warm, comforting flavor. The white chocolate ganache adds a layer of sweetness and creaminess that complements the snickerdoodle base perfectly.
What is in white chocolate snickerdoodle bars?
Unsalted Butter
It is always important to use unsalted butter when baking. If you use salted butter, you have no way of knowing how much salt you are adding to your dough or batter and it will result in an overly salted treat.
Butter adds fats to your dough or batter which helps with moistness, flavor and texture. Butter melts at body temperature, which creates a ‘melt in your mouth’ sensation.
When baking with butter, the temperature is important. If the butter is too warm, your treat will melt too fast and overspread in the oven, leaving you with a greasy, flat mess. If your butter is too cold, it will have the opposite problem and not melt down enough, leaving your treat too thick.
Cream cheese
Provides a unique, tangy flavor. When baked it adds moisture to your treat.
Granulated Sugar
Adds sweetness, provides a caramelized flavor and crisp texture. Sugar assists with rising when creamed with butter. It helps add moisture to your treat and helps it evenly spread as it melts into a liquid in the heat of the oven. Sugar also helps with naturally preserving your baked treat.
Brown Sugar
Is granulated sugar with a little molasses mixed in. Molasses is a somewhat smoky flavored natural sweetener, which makes brown sugar a bit sweeter than granulated sugar. Brown sugar draws more moisture into your treat, keeping it softer for longer. It’s also more acidic, which means it will help activate your baking soda.
Eggs
Adds both a protein (egg whites) and fat (egg yolks). The egg whites help with rising because, when foamed, little air pockets get trapped inside the egg white mixture. The water content in egg whites encourages steam while baking, which helps with gluten formation, resulting in nice and thick treats. Egg yolks have emulsifying properties that bring batters and doughs together and help them from collapsing. Unless otherwise specified, always use large eggs.
Vanilla Extract
When using pure vanilla extract, as opposed to imitation flavoring, it will add the deep rich flavor that everybody wants in a treat.
Fine Sea Salt
Enhances flavor, adds balance, masks any bitter flavors. Salt is the most powerful and oldest preservative. Always make sure to use fine sea salt so it melts down at the right speed in the heat of the oven. If you use larger granule salt, it will not melt down fully when baked and will leave salt crystals throughout your treat, making it crunch like you dropped it into sand.
Cream of Tartar
Stabilizes the egg whites, ensuring they hold their structure when whipped.
Cinnamon
A seasoning that adds a nice spice to your treat.
Baking Soda
Elevates the pH level of your batter or dough. It increases the spread in your treat and encourages browning, which gives the crispy outside and soft inside texture that everyone loves. Baking soda needs both an acid and a liquid to react. Things that will activate your baking soda are: vinegar, fruit juice, molasses, brown sugar, tartar, buttermilk and sour cream. Baking soda only reacts once, which is right when it’s mixed into your batter or dough. The soda creates little air bubbles all throughout your treat. When the air bubbles get heated up in the oven, they expand.
All-purpose Flour
Builds structure as it absorbs liquids and expands. All-purpose flour falls in the middle of bread flour (high in gluten) and cake flour (low in gluten). It’s exactly what it is named, all-purpose, the most universal flour that can be used in most baked goods.
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture
Adds the classic snickerdoodle flavor to the bars.
White Chocolate Chips
Melted to create a luscious ganache layer.
Whipping Cream
Used to create a smooth and creamy white chocolate ganache.
How do you make white chocolate snickerdoodle bars?
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Add cream cheese, butter & sugars to the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Stir until combined, then whip on high speed for 1-2 full minutes until lighter in color. Be sure to stop every 30 seconds or so and scrap the sides and bottom of bowl down with a rubber spatula. If you do not want to use a standing mixer, you can use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer instead.
- Add large eggs & vanilla and stir until just combined on medium speed. Be sure not to over-mix the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, stir your dry ingredients: salt, cinnamon, tartar, soda & flour with a large wooden spoon.
- Start your standing mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the flour mixture into the sugar mixture
- Stop mixing as soon as the blondie batter comes together. Be sure not to over-mix
- Press half the cookie dough into a greased pan with cooking spray and parchment paper-lined 9×13 pan.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- While the first half of the bars are baking, make the white chocolate ganache.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and cream. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate is fully melted. This took me 1.5 minutes.
- When the first half of the cookies are done baking, remove and drizzle the white chocolate ganache all over the top of the baked bottom layer.
- Take the remaining dough and flatten small amounts in your hand. Place a bit of flattened cookie dough all over the top of the white chocolate bars until you have used all of the dough and the bars are covered.
- Sprinkle as much cinnamon sugar mixture mix on the top layer of the uncooked bars as you desire.
- Bake for another 9 minutes. They will be lightly golden brown when finished baking.
- Remove and allow the bars to cool before slicing. For easy cutting, check out the Chunky Pan.
- Store any leftovers by tightly covering in aluminum foil.
Storage Tips
Store your white chocolate Snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days to keep them a chewy bar. For more extended storage, refrigerate them for up to a week. Freezing is an excellent option if you need to store them even longer.
These bars are best enjoyed within the first few days of baking when they are at their softest gooiest. At room temperature, they will stay fresh for about four days. Refrigeration extends their shelf life to about a week, and freezing can preserve them for up to 3 months.
Freezing Instructions
Arrange these cookie bars in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. This prevents them from sticking together and makes grabbing just one or two at a time easy. Thaw them at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.
Making Ahead
These bars are perfect for making ahead of time. You can prepare the dough and freeze it in the baking pan before baking. When you’re ready to bake, simply place the frozen dough in the preheated oven, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time if necessary. You can also make the ganache ahead and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recommended Products
Why make white chocolate snickerdoodle bars?
These white chocolate snickerdoodle bars are a decadent treat that combines the classic flavors of snickerdoodles with the creamy sweetness of white chocolate ganache. Perfect for any occasion, these bars are as fun to make as they are to eat.
Growing up, snickerdoodles were always a staple in our household, but I wanted to create something special by adding a rich white chocolate ganache. The result is a bar that’s soft, gooey, and bursting with flavor.
FAQs
Can i use white chocolate chunks instead of chips?
Yes, you can use white chocolate chunks instead of chips. Make sure they are finely chopped to melt evenly when melting the ganache.
How should I store these white chocolate snickerdoodle bars?
Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to a week or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Can I make these bars gluten-free?
Yes, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend suitable for baking. Ensure the blend contains xanthan gum or another binder to maintain the bars’ structure and texture.
Can I add nuts to this recipe?
Absolutely! Adding chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts can add texture and flavor to the bars. Just fold them into the dough before baking. Macadamia nuts would go fantastic with this recipe!
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White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- cinnamon sugar mix ratio is personal preference
White Chocolate Ganache
- 1 bag white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Add cream cheese, butter & sugars to a standing mixer. Stir until combined, then whip on high for 1-2 minutes until lighter in color.
- Add eggs & vanilla, stir until just combined. Be sure to not over mix.
- In a separate bowl, stir together salt, cinnamon, tartar, soda & flour
- Start your standing mixer on low, slowly pour in the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture
- Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together. Be sure not to over mix
- Press half the cookie dough into a greased, parchment paper-lined 9×13 pan.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- While the first half of the bars are baking, make the white chocolate ganache.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and cream. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate is fully melted. This took me 1.5 minutes.
- When the first half of the cookies are done baking, remove and drizzle the white chocolate ganache all over the top.
- Take the remaining dough and flatten small amounts in your hand. Place a bit of flattened cookie dough all over the top of the white chocolate bars until you have used all of the dough and the bars are covered.
- Sprinkle as much cinnamon and sugar mix on top of the uncooked bars as you desire.
- Bake for another 9 minutes.
- Remove and allow the bars to cool before slicing.
Nutrition
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