Dairy-Free Snickerdoodle Blondies Recipe for the Best Holiday Party

Have you ever had one of those special parties? The one that “everyone” talks about for an entire year after. We had our first when living near our friends at Lake Tahoe. The scene was a few weeks before Christmas, and a horrendous blizzard had moved in. Yet, every single guest arrived. We have some serious die-hard party friends. Lucky for them we had heaps of food, including these scrumptious dairy-free Snickerdoodle Blondies!

These Snickerdoodle Blondies are the Talk of the Dessert Table

My husband and I were fairly calm, certain that we had prepared enough food. Boy were we wrong. Apparently our friends have big appetites for more than just partying. For hot food, we had Roasted Veggies, Pulled Pork with Homemade Wheat Buns (I made them slider sized), From-Scratch Cheeseless Pepperoni Pizza (using the crust recipe in Go Dairy Free), Stuffed Mushrooms, Prosciutto-Wrapped Wild Prawns, and Chicken Satay (one peanut sauced and one more of a curry).

Easily the most popular savory item was the stuffed mushrooms. All night long people kept asking, “So everything was dairy-free? Really? Even the mushrooms?” I didn’t even bother telling them that they were also gluten-free, soy-free, and egg-free. I thought that might send some of them over the edge! I used 1.5 lbs of mushrooms, and they were still gone in minutes. In fact, everything was finished. Even the store-bought filler food we purchased (salsa, hummus, eggplant dip, tortilla chips, and blanched veggies) was completely devoured.

Fortunately, for those who still hadn’t eaten there fill, there was dessert. After all, what would any holiday party be without a delicious assortment of homemade cookies and bars?

I served three different types, including some sugar cookies, peppermint chocolate crispy treats, and these amazing Snickerdoodle Blondies. I watched as our guests attempted to guess what these wonderful bars were. One came awfully close when he said it tasted like snickerdoodles crossed with gingerbread. Needless to say, after I revealed their true identity, there were several recipe requests.

Reader Raves

These are some comments from my old blog, where I originally posted this recipe.

This was Jamie’s first attempt at a dairy-free dessert and was happily surprised: “These were totally yummy. I didn’t have plain nutmeg, so I used a dash of pumpkin pie spice instead!”

Carol had success making them gluten-free: “One of our favorite recipes. Works gluten free, too substituting GF flour blend.”

Special Diet Notes: Snickerdoodle Blondies

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, and vegetarian.

Egg-free? Some people have had luck with making this recipe vegan, some have not. See our Egg Substitute Guide for suggestions. I have tested other blondie recipes egg-free, and find aquafaba works best (about 6 tablespoons = 2 eggs). But the result will still be crispy/crunchier on the edges and moister in the middle. As an alternative, you might try baking these as vegan cookies rather than in a pan. Or, try our recipes for peanut butter blondies, gluten-free almond butter blondies, or salted caramel blondies – they’re all vegan.

Gluten-free? Several readers have had luck with using all-purpose gluten-free flour, but the results will vary based on the flour blend you choose. Do not substitute a single flour (use a blend meant for 1:1 substitution), and definitely do not substitute coconut flour (for a coconut flour option, see my grain-fee snickerdoodles recipe). I have not personally tested this recipe gluten-free.

Dairy-Free Holiday Snickerdoodle Blondies

 

Author: Alisa Fleming

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

• 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon + 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup dairy-free buttery spread or sticks
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
3. In large mixing bowl, cream the buttery spread or sticks and brown sugar with a hand mixer.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
5. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined.
6. Spread the batter evenly in your prepared pan. (I lightly greased a spatula or use a small piece of parchment paper to press the batter for easy stick-free spreading.)
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon
8. Evenly sprinkle all of the cinnamon-sugar mixture atop the blondie batter. (It might seem like a lot, but trust me, go for it!)
9. Bake the blondies for 25 to 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. They will be firmer and raised around the edges, and will sink a little in the middle. No worries, this is how it should be.
10. Let the blondies cool in the pan completely before cutting.

Best Butter? I have tested this recipe with both buttery spread (Melt) and buttery sticks (Earth Balance Soy Free) and the results were similar and equally delicious. Most brands should work well, but I do prefer to use a lightly salted option. See my dairy-free butter comparison to see how some of the most popular brands bake up.

Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 185 Fat: 6.3g Saturated fat: 1.7g Carbohydrates: 30.1g Sugar: 18.9g Sodium: 119mg Fiber: .5g Protein: 2g

3.5.3229

More Dairy-Free Baked Dessert Bar Recipes

Classic Lemon Bars

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Bars