Snickerdoodles take me back to my childhood.  I remember baking them with my mom and my little sister, scooping out the dough and rolling it in cinnamon-sugar.  I still love them, but to be honest, I don't make them very often.  That extra step of rolling the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar sometimes just seems like one step too many.

When I planned out the recipes for my 12 Days of Cookies this year, the cookie that I selected for today just didn't feel right, when it came time to bake it.  After all of the lighter, crispy, thin, spicy cookies I've made so far, I just wanted something warm, cozy, and nostalgic.  Since writing a recipe for my favorite old sweater would be weird, I suggest you wear one when you eat these.

This recipe takes my snickerdoodle nostalgia one step further with pure Maple Syrup.  When I was in grade school, we lived in Bradford County, Pennsylvania.  There are a lot of details that I don't remember, but one thing I do remember is maple syrup.  I remember our family giving it as gifts, and I remember my grandma pouring it on the snow and showing us how to make frozen syrup on a stick, and I remember the maple sugar candy (sometimes I still crave that).

I kept my mom's snickerdoodle recipe virtually the same, but added in some maple syrup and made it into a bar.  These are so good, and so easy! I don't know if I'll ever make traditional snickerdoodles again.

Maple Snickerdoodle Bars

• 1 c. salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1/3 c. pure maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Butter a 9x13 baking dish, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar.  Add in the maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

Add into the butter mixture and mix on low until fully incorporated.

Press evenly into baking dish.  In a small bowl or shaker, mix together the 2 Tbsp sugar and ground cinnamon.  Sprinkle over all of the dough.

Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.  Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!