Gooey Cinnamon Squares

As soon as I spotted this recipe in my Smitten Kitchen cookbook, I knew that I wanted to make it. I love snicker doodle cookies and as a former Minnesotan, I love bars of any kind. I thought that the Super Bowl would be the perfect opportunity to give this recipe a try.

As a note, I ended up baking this recipe for twice as long as the recipe calls for (60 minutes instead of 30 minutes). I am not sure if my oven runs cool, or if I didn't have the right sized pan, but my bars definitely  needed the extra time. Also, be sure to let the bars cool COMPLETELY before you cut them, otherwise you will have a gooey mess on your hands!


Soft Cookie Base
8 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk

Gooey Layer
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Cinnamon Topping
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch cake pan with parchment paper and coast the paper with non stick spray. Set aside.

2. Prepare the cookie base. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the 8 tablespoons butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the milk, and beat until combined. Beat in dry ingredients until just combined. Dollop cookie base over the bottom of the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer with a butter knife.

3. Prepare the gooey layer. Whisk honey, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add 1/3 of the flour and mix, then 1/2 of the vanilla mixture and mix. Repeat again until all of the flour has been mixed and just combined. Dollop over the cookie base and spread carefully with a butter knife.

4. Make the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a dish and sprinkle it over the entire gooey layer.

5. Bake and serve. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cookies have bronzed on top. The gooey layer will be a little bit liquidy still. Let cool completely and then cut into 1 inch squares.