Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
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Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars are the best of both worlds- soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookie dough layered with a creamy, rich layer of cheesecake, and then topped again with more cookie dough.
I am 100% a cookie kinda gal around the holidays. I love any and all Christmas cookies. Sometimes though, you just want to switch things up, maybe add a little spice to your holiday gathering. That’s where these cheesecake bars come into play.
A twist on the classic Christmas cookie (snickerdoodles) combined with everyone’s favorite dessert (cheesecake) and honestly you couldn’t have a better combo!
If you’re looking for more great cheesecake recipes, try my Oreo Cheesecake Brownies or my No-Bake Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
Recipe Ingredients:
Some notes on just a few ingredients, check out the recipe card below for the entire list and measurements:
- Cream of tartar- This is what gives snickerdoodles their distinct taste and it helps them stay nice and chewy by preventing the sugar from crystallizing.
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter when baking, but if you only have salted just omit the salt that the recipe calls for.
- Flour: I used all-purpose, but you could try a gluten-free version as well.
- Cream cheese: Make sure to use regular cream cheese, not the whipped kind! I like using the bars of cream cheese for baking. Also, make sure they are at room temperature- it makes it easier to mix and will leave you with fewer clumps. I have not tried this recipe with non-dairy cream cheese.
Step by Step Instructions:
step one: make the cookie dough
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the egg + yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until a dough forms, it will be pretty thick.
step two: make the cheesecake filling
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt, then beat on medium-high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
step three: assemble your bars
In a parchment paper-lined baking dish, press 3/4 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan, as evenly as possible. Pour the cheesecake layer on top, spreading out over the entire dish with a rubber spatula. Take the remaining dough and crumble with your hands over top of the cheesecake layer. You will still see some parts of the cheesecake in between the dough.
step four: bake and chill
Bake your bars in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the cookie dough on top is lightly browned. The middle of your bars may jiggle a little and that’s ok! They will set in the fridge.
Remove from the oven and cool completely. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or longer) until they have completely chilled.
Can I skip cream of tartar in snickerdoodles?
Technically yes you can, but I wouldn’t suggest it! Cream of tartar is what makes snickerdoodles, well, snickerdoodles. The acid in cream of tartar gives them their distinct tangy taste and keeps the sugar inside from crystallizing, which gives these cookies their signature chewy texture. Without cream of tartar, you would basically be making a crunchy cinnamon sugar cookie.
If you don’t have cream of tartar on hand, you can omit it entirely and add in an extra teaspoon of baking powder (so 2 teaspoons total).
Tips & Tricks
- I made these cheesecake bars in a 13×9 pan. You could also cut the recipe in half and make in an 8×8 pan!
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal and clean up!
- Room temperature ingredients really help in this recipe, it makes it easier to mix everything together!
- Make sure to let these bars chill completely before you cut into them so they have time to set. I always clean my knife in between cuts.
Storing & Freezing
These cheesecake bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
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Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bar Recipe
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Layer
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the cookie dough: In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth using an electric mixer. Add in the egg + yolk and vanilla. Mix until compleletly combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until a dough forms, it will be pretty thick. You can use a rubber spatula or your hands to combine at the end if it's too thick for your electric mixer.
- Make the cheesecake: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt, then beat on medium high until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Assemble: In a parchment paper-lined baking dish, press 3/4 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan, as evenly as possible. Pour the cheesecake layer on top, spreading out over the entire dish with a rubber spatula. Take the remaining dough and crumble with your hands over the cheesecake layer. You will still see some parts of the cheesecake in-between the dough.
- Bake at 350° F for 35-45 minutes, until the cookie dough on top is baked and very lightly starting to brown. The middle of your bars may jiggle a little and that's ok! They will set in the fridge.Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or longer) until they have completely chilled. Cut and serve!
Notes
- I made these cheesecake bars in a 13×9 pan. You can cut the recipe in half and use an 8×8 pan as well.
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal and clean-up!
- Make sure to let these bars chill completely so they cut up nicely. I always clean my knife in between cuts.
- These cheesecake bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month
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This recipe sounds good but snickerdoodles usually have some cinnamon sugar on the outside. I’m going to try this week but will add cinnamon in the bottom crust and also in the topping. Will let you know how it goes.
Hi Pat, these have a snickerdoodle cookie layer on the bottom (that has cinnamon in it) and you can sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top!
YUM – This is one of my new favorite recipes! These were easy to make and tasted amazing even the day after (they didn’t last longer than that) 🙂
hahah happy to hear they didn’t last you longer than a day 🙂