After a flutter of tweets this afternoon over preferred baked goods, I promised vaguely hinted to my coworkers that there might be treats waiting for them tomorrow morning. A request for cream cheese put me on a Pinterest hunt for something a bit new and different, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

I was aiming for cream cheese danish, but all of the recipes seemed to call for crescent rolls and a trip to the store sounded odious.

*You’ll have to forgive my vocabulary tonight. I have been listening to my “Pride and Prejudice” audiobook and have adopted their vernacular as I pretend to be gliding elegantly through the English countryside, with Mr. Darcy at my side*

I landed on these Snickerdoodle bars, which had me drooling instantly. I. Love. Snickerdoodles. Such a perfect marriage of cinnamon, sugar, and doughy goodness has never been seen before, I am sure.

A quick coupling with a cream-cheese brownie recipe from Joy of Baking and I had landed on my opus.

These bars are delightfully fluffy with a ribbon of richness through them, thanks to the cream cheese filling. There is a slight crust from the cinnamon and sugar, which is a pleasant texture contrast that is quite appreciated.

You will need:
For the bars:
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

For the cream cheese filling:
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Beat the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Beat in the sour cream. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in on low speed until thoroughly incorporated.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg until smooth, but do not over mix.

Grease a 9″x 13″ pan with butter. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle half in the greased pan, making sure to shake it around thoroughly so that it coats the pan. Spoon 3/4 of the dough into the pan and spread gently into the corners. Spread the cream cheese on top and then spoon the rest of the dough as the final layer. Gently run a knife through the layers to slightly swirl it all together.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until just done. If you have trouble with this part, stick a knife into the center. If it comes out with any glisten of moisture, put it back in for a few more minutes. If crumbs cling to the knife, take it out immediately!

Nom!