Bourbon Snickerdoodle Bars
I've been feeling a little down in the dumps lately. Nothing serious, don't worry - it's mostly because the most wonderful time of the year is over. This always happens: you're moving a mile a minute to get your decorations up, purchase your gifts, sing all the Christmas songs you possibly can within 3-weeks' time, bake all the Christmas goodies and then be with your crazy family for the 3 days that feel like 2 hours and then stay up to celebrate the new year but then wake up feeling the exact same way and then celebrate your boyfriend's birthday somewhere in there too and THEN - it's over. So you pack up your things, throw away all the ribbons and wrapping paper and leftover pie (sadly, this happened) and head back home to hang on until the most wonderful time of the year comes back.
Wow, that sounds depressing.
The slump is also probably because Denver hasn't seen snow in months -- which for some people is a beautiful thing -- and it's a balmy 65 degrees in Golden today. Where are the blizzards? There's still hope for February and March, so here's to hoping the snow blows in sometime soon; until then, we have Bourbon Snickerdoodle Bars to get us through, and let me tell you... they help.
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Just because plain old snickerdoodles sometimes aren't enough. That's rare. Usually a plain old snickerdoodle will do just fine, especially if it's from JD's Chippery in Dallas, TX. It's a magical, magical place that smelled like freshly-baked cookies from 2 blocks away, and if I ever smell it again I'll feel like I'm 12 years old, and nothing will hold me back from storming in, cutting the line and buying 2 boxes of snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies. These bars taste a lot like that, but they're boozed up with a bit of bourbon, which makes them even more irresistible.
Yes, you need them. So here's the recipe.
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Adapted from Broma Bakery
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons bourbon (I used Bulleit, but use whatever you have)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the melted butter with the 2 cups sugar on high speed for 30 seconds. Add in the eggs and bourbon and mix for another 30 seconds.
In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar and salt. Fold dry ingredients into wet, and mix just until combined. Place into prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Top with additional sugar and cinnamon mixture, and place in the oven for 40 - 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely before slicing. These taste even better the second day - store in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.