This Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bar Recipe Survived My Big Mistake

There’s something about brown sugar, cinnamon, and buttery shortbread that just feels like fall. And for me, these Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bars from Dee & Sweets are about as good as it gets.

I came across the recipe last year, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made them. They have that rich, buttery shortbread texture with a layer of warm brown sugar and cinnamon in the middle, finished with a sweet cinnamon icing on top. Even better, you don’t need to be an experienced baker to pull them off.

The original recipe is surprisingly easy to follow and uses pretty straightforward pantry and refrigerator staples.

I’ve made them for dinners and quiet weekends at home, but recently I made a batch for a football draft party. That batch taught me something else about this recipe: It’s remarkably forgiving.

Because despite making these bars dozens of times, I managed to skip one fairly important step.

What Happens If You Don’t Par-Bake Shortbread Cookie Bars?

A few weekends ago, I was making a batch while talking to my sister-in-law on the phone. I was deep in conversation, had already chilled the shortbread, and had my oven preheating when I completely skipped the next step.

Instead of putting the bottom crust into the oven for its 10-minute par-bake, I started spooning the cinnamon filling right on top.

I knew what I had done almost instantly.

Unfortunately, by then it was far too late to scrape everything back off without making an even bigger mess.

The original recipe calls for baking that bottom shortbread layer for 10 minutes before adding the filling. Then the remaining dough goes on top, and the assembled bars bake for another 30 minutes.

Since I didn’t have enough time to start over, I figured I had two choices: see what happened or stop at Publix on the way to the party to grab a dessert.

So I kept going.

I added the remaining shortbread dough over the top. Instead of rolling mine out, I usually crumble pieces across the surface and gently press them together, which gives the finished bars a rustic top I love.

Then I put the whole pan into the oven and added about 10 extra minutes to the baking time to compensate for the par-bake I had skipped.

And somehow, it worked.

The bars came out a little crispier around the edges, across the top, and along the bottom than they normally do, but they were still absolutely delicious. The filling was a little different, too. Instead of the seamlessly soft cinnamon layer I usually get, it was slightly gooier, almost like the filling in a thumbprint cookie. And apparently, that wasn’t a bad thing.

In fact, my husband told me they were one of the best batches I’d made.

No one at the party knew anything had gone wrong, either. But once people started asking me for the recipe, I had to confess what I had done.

That may be one of my favorite things about this recipe. Plenty of baked goods leave very little room for error. These bars apparently give you some grace.

I still recommend following Dee’s directions and giving the bottom crust its proper par-bake. You’ll get the more tender shortbread texture the recipe is intended to have. But if you happen to get distracted and forget, all may not be lost.

The One Change I Make to the Cinnamon Icing

There’s very little I would change about the original recipe because it really is that good.

A small tweak I’ve started making is adding 1 tablespoon of melted butter to the cinnamon icing. And adding a bit more cinnamon.

Dee’s icing is made with powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and water. The melted butter makes it a little richer and, to me, gives the bars more of that warm cinnamon-roll flavor.

They’re fantastic either way, so consider this completely optional.

If you’re looking for something sweet to make this fall, though, this is one I’d put high on the list. They work just as well for brunch as they do for game day or an autumn dinner party. Plus, baking them makes the entire house smell incredible.

And unlike grabbing dessert from the store, you know exactly what went into them.

You can find Dee & Sweets’ complete Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bars recipe here, including all of the measurements and original baking instructions.