Browned Butter Bourbon Snickerdoodle Bars
Okay, I have an important recipe to share with you. It's dangerously delicious, decadent, AND easy to make. It only uses one-bowl, involves browned butter, a bit of bourbon, and a sugar & spice topping that is the trademark of a snickerdoodle. But here's the twist... we're ditching the cookies and going all in on chewy, gooey, ridiculously delicious Browned Butter Bourbon Snickerdoodle Bars.
Equipment
- 1 Baking Pan, 8 x 8 for one batch, 9 x 9 for double, or a 9 x 13 for triple.
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl or Stand Mixer
- 1 Spatula if not using a stand mixer
- 1 digital scale, optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, to make the browned butter. SEE NOTES BELOW.
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed. SEE NOTES BELOW
- 1 large egg plus one yolk, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Bourbon, SEE NOTES BELOW for swaps.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
- 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For Topping:
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon, to taste.
Instructions
- Prepare your browned butter or melted butter and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the browned butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1/2 cup white for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the whole egg, yolk, bourbon (or substitutions) and vanilla, mix for another 30 seconds until well incorporated.
- In the same bowl as the wet ingredients, measure in the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder and salt. Note: If there are any lumps in your cream of tartar or baking powder, measure into the palm of your hand and break them up before adding it to the bowl since we are not sifting, if you prefer sifting, that works too. Mix in the dry ingredients with the wet only until combined. Place into prepared baking pan. Gently spread it out, taking your time if you have used parchment paper. Sometimes the back of a large spoon is helpful to spread it out.
- Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it on top of the batter and bake on the middle rack for 32-35 minutes.
- Let cool completely for about 20-30 minutes before lifting out or cutting into. Hard to do, I know but well worth it because they are soft & chewy. You will get 16 smaller bars but feel free to cut them larger.
- Serve as is or warm with ice-cream. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or wrap individually and pop into a freezer bag to freeze up for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutritional Values and Servings are estimates only.
Unsalted Butter- This is for making the browned butter, if you prefer to not use it, just simply melt and slightly cool the butter before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. How to make browned butter is in the main blog post.
Dark Brown Sugar- See how I make mine here.
Bourbon- Bourbon. Just 2 tablespoons (roughly 3/4 ounce), but it makes ALL the difference. If bourbon isn't your thing, you could swap it out for Spiced Rum. If you are skipping the alcohol completely then make the switch for whole milk.
Cream of Tartar & Baking Soda- If there are any lumps in your cream of tartar or baking powder, measure into the palm of your hand and break them up before adding it to the bowl since we are not sifting, if you prefer sifting, that works too.
8 x 8" Baking Pan- If doubling, you will need a 9 x 9". Preferably metal. Glass could take longer to cook and keep in mind that dark coated pans can "brown" quicker on the bottom and sides. If you want to go all out and triple this recipe, go for it, just use a 9 x 13" pan. This are PERFECT for a party!
Digital Scale- optional. This recipe and many others of mine are tested using a scale for ease and accuracy. If not using a scale, I recommend carefully measuring your flour. Metric measurements are provided in the recipe card below.
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 95mgPotassium: 33mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 192IUCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!