Snickerdoodle Bars (12 weeks of Christmas Cookies)

I love watching television. It's one of my favorite pastimes. It's one of the reasons I love the Fall so much: new shows. While my husband makes his Fantasy Football spreadsheets, I make my TV show grid. (Hey, a DVR can only tape two things at once!)

Of course the TV comedies (Modern Family, anyone?) and dramas (Grey's Anataomy!) are my favorites, but I also love reality TV. I think I love the Housewives so much because it's brainless TV. I can watch for five minutes and then pick it up again a day later without missing a beat. But when it comes to reality TV, I especially love the competition shows: Project Runway, Top Chef, Amazing Race, and Survivor.

Which brings me to the point of this rambling.

I also enjoy Twitter. Evenings seems to be a huge time for tweeting, so I like to tweet and read and share things then. So I'd like to do a little PSA to the celebrities out there who are on reality shows, especially competition ones.

8:00 pm Eastern time is NOT 8:00 pm Pacific time. When it's 8:00 in New York, where y'all live, it's actually on 5:00 pm here in California. Which means that when you, Jeff Probst or other reality competition host, are tweeting which tribe lost and is at tribal council, I have not seen the show yet. And knowing before watching who gets voted off (or is out or who packed their knives) kind of ruins the whole thing.

So now, while trying to figure out how to tape The Real Housewives, Amazing Race, and Sunday Night Football all at the same time, I also have to make sure I don't go on Twitter.

It's a good thing I can bake. Gives me something to do during these situations.

If you need something to do next time you're avoiding social media and your TV, try giving these Snickerdoodle bars a try. I made them for a potluck and they were all gone when I went to clean up the dishes. Only crumbs were left, which is the best compliment for a baker. They are full of cinnamon and topped with a sweet glaze. Snickerdoodles without all the work!

Snickerdoodle Bars

Recipe from Betty Crocker

Printed from www.CrazyforCrust.com

Ingredients:

For the Bars:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter, softened

1 ¼ cups sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cinnamon Filling:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.       Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

3.       Beat butter with a stand or hand mixer until creamy. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.

4.       Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and press into bottom of pan (it will be thin).

5.       Make the cinnamon filling by mixing the 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle over batter.

6.       Spoon the rest of the batter in teaspoon sized amounts on top of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

7.       Make the glaze: mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Drizzle over top of bars. Let sit until the glaze sets, about a half hour. Cut into bars.

Yield: 24 bars

What shows are you excited about this season?

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Fall Crawl (The Artsy Girl Connection), Fall Craft Challenge (One Artsy Mama)