Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars – Brown sugar cinnamon filing is placed between shortbread cookie layers. It all gets a yummy maple cinnamon icing to take these bars over the top
I stubbled upon these Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars on Instagram. I was flabbergasted at the originality in these bars but also seemed super simple to make. They seemed almost identical to Brown Sugar Cinnamon Poptarts, except they were cookies instead of tarts. That meant that I didn’t need to make pie dough to to recreate them at home. Hallelujah!
To make these bars, all you needed to do was make cookie dough and spread it into two layers, place a brown sugar cinnamon layer in-between them, and then ice them after they are baked. No chilling or pastry work required! And the flavor was IDENTICAL to those Poptarts we loved as kids.
Here are the incredible Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars!
Tips & Tricks
- Almond flour is necessary. When I first saw this recipe, I was confused by the almond flour. But the blogger explained that the almond flour is important because it helps make the texture be more dense rather than gummy. So don’t assume that it’s optional! You must use almond flour for this recipe.
- An offset spatula is so useful. Spreading sticky dough is so annoying, especially for someone who hates getting her fingers dirty. An offset spatula is just the tool that makes this process easier.
- Let the bars cool before icing. Warm bars will absorb some of the icing, leaving less of it on top. So make sure to cool the bars completely to ensure all of the icing remains on top.
- Reduce oven temp for dark pans. All my baking pans are dark, which can cause the edges to burn before the center is cooked-through. But I learned that reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees is the perfect adjustment to ensure baked goods come out perfect.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
For the cookie layers:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the brown sugar cinnamon filling:
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
For the cinnamon icing:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Add butter and powdered sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low (carefully, so the sugar doesn't go everywhere) until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until as combined as possible. In a separate bowl, mix all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt together. Add to butter mixture and mix on low until dough forms. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×9 square baking pan with nonstick spray and then line with parchment paper. Next, trace square pan onto another sheet of parchment paper to serve as a stencil for the top layer of cookie dough. Spread half of the cookie dough over the square stencil so that it's in an even layer. An offset spatula will help make this process easier. Spread the other half of the dough into the baking pan. Place both cookie layers in the freezer while you prep the center layer.
- Mix all the ingredients together for brown sugar cinnamon layer in a small bowl until combined. You may need to smash the ingredients together with the back of a spoon to get the cinnamon to combine well into the brown sugar. The mixture will be sandy. Remove the cookie layers from the freezer. Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon over the bottom cookie layer sitting in the baking pan. Press the brown sugar cinnamon to compact it into one layer. Top the brown sugar layer with the top cookie layer and push down.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until the center is baked through. The edges will be slightly golden brown but the top will mostly be light. Remove from oven and let cool completely before putting icing on top, about 1 hour.
- For the icing, mix all ingredients together with a whisk until smooth. The whisk will help remove any lumps from the powdered sugar. Pour over the cooled square of cookie bars while they are still in the pan. Let the icing harden before you slice into bars.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Butternut Bakery
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
Maple Walnut Cookies
Cinnamon Swirl Doughnut Loaf
Cinnamon Bun Soft Pretzels
These Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookie Bars look divine — fudgy middle, crisp edges, and that warm cinnamon glow — exactly what you want with a cup of something cozy.
These cookie bars are perfect!! I love cinnamon sugar everything in the fall months, so this is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
A five star recipe for sure. They were delicious and we will be making them again soon. I followed the recipe to a T and it turned out great.
These are amazing cookies! My little ones had a blast making them, and of course eating them. Definitely making more soon!
These bars have so many yummy flavors! I’d love to try them out. We love anything brown sugar flavored!
These were even better than my favorite cinnamon brown sugar pop tarts and they were perfect for breakfast
I made your cinnamon bars yesterday and my family gave them five stars! Thanks for another great recipe.
Oh my goodness, I could probably eat my weight in these :O They look SO divine. Buttery and soft…goodness, I wish I had one right now 😀
I’m a cinnamon lover, and these cookie bars are to die for. The cinnamon notes are intense but not overwhelming. I give 5 stars: all my family loved them. Thanks for this easy, perfect recipe.
You got me at cinnamon and brown sugar, love the sound of cookie dough with it. On my baking list this weekend, thanks for sharing.
I’m a sucker for anything with cinnamon. These were soooo good. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m a sucker for cinnamon sugar anything, and you can never go wrong with cookies. I’m loving this!
These are so tasty, it’s hard to eat just one slice! Love the fall flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar in these, will be making these a lot I think. I am going to try one version with some pumpkin pie spice and puree.
These remind me of the streusel-layered coffee cakes my mom used to make. Simply delicious!
These reminded me of cinnamon rolls crossed with brownies! So sweet and delicious!
Are they a cake? Are they are bar? Are they a cinnamon roll? Yes! They’re everything in one bite! Delicious!
Made these up because my mom was visiting and she loves cinnamon anything. She loved the bars and took the recipe home with her.