Cinnamon. Toast. Bars. If you make nothing else that I’ve shared with you, you NEED Cinnamon Toast Bars in your life. These bars are a twist on my beloved Cinnamon Toast Cake; it has been a favorite since I was a little girl.
No fork or plate required this is the ultimate handheld dessert for every cinnamon toast loving person.
![Cinnamon Toast Bars {gluten free and traditional dessert recipes} by Barefeet In The Kitchen Cinnamon Toast Bars {gluten free and traditional dessert recipes} by Barefeet In The Kitchen](https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/cinnamon-toast-bars-7-1024x683.jpg)
Cinnamon Toast Bars are covered in a crunchy, caramelized cinnamon sugar topping that is like nothing else you’ve ever tasted. I’ve made these bars 6 times in the past month. They are crazy good, completely dangerous, and absurdly easy to make.
You don’t have to take my word for it either. Rebecca at Foodie with Family made these bars in both the traditional and vegan versions and her family and friends loved them.
Her post eventually led to a community thread over at King Arthur Flour. The comments made me laugh as they proclaimed their love for the Cinnamon Toast Bars.
In the fall and around the holidays there is an excuse to make a dessert almost every time I turn around. We have birthdays every month from September through December, parties and get-togethers happen almost every weekend.
If you’re anything like me and want to have some simple and fantastic desserts at your fingertips, check these recipes out for more inspiration: Cranberry Christmas Cake, Hershey’s Perfect One Bowl Chocolate Cake, Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge, 15 Naturally Gluten Free Desserts {NO special ingredients required!}
Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website!
Cinnamon Toast Bars
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour*
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ cup butter melted and semi-cooled
*Gluten-Free Alternative
- 2½ cups brown rice flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup potato starch
Topping Ingredients
- 1¼ cups butter melted
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a large baking sheet pan (18"x13") with butter. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk, vanilla and butter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 23 minutes.
- While the bars are baking, combine the topping ingredients and whisk together. Remove the bars from the oven after 23 minutes and pour the topping over them. Bake an additional 8 minutes, until the cinnamon layer is bubbling. Let cool before slicing into bars and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 12/3/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 6/17/22}
Carol Johnston says
It is only me, so so I’m going to cut this recipe in half if it’s okay, have you ever done that?? This is a big recipe, must make a lot, sounds so yummy, I love anything with cinnamon 💛💙🎉🎉
Mary Younkin says
That should be fine, Carol. I hope you love the cinnamon toast bars. Happy baking!
CAN says
I think there may be a typo in the recipe, because 1 1/4 cups of butter for the topping was way too much. After I took it out of the oven there was butter pooling around the edges, so I sopped it up with 4 or 5 paper towels, but the bars are still dripping butter. I’m afraid I won’t be able to use them for my event. I’m sure they would be great with the right amount of butter!![2 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Mary Younkin says
Good morning! I’m sorry to hear of your frustration with the bars. Did you bake them in a large sheet pan? (approximately 18″x13″ size?) or did you by chance use a 9×13 pan? If you reduced the pan size, you would have been left with too much of the butter and cinnamon sugar topping.
The topping should be wet and buttery when you remove it from the oven, but it will soak into the bars pretty quickly. Without being in your kitchen with you, it’s difficult to guess what might have gone wrong, but I’m guessing it may have been an issue with the size of the pan.
Syracuse Baker says
Oof, way too much butter in the topping. Before putting it on the cake, I dumped about 1/3 of it into a separate bowl, and to the 2/3 I added more sugar until there wasn’t an oil slick on top. I used a rubber spatula to carefully dollop and spread not quite all of it into the top of the cake. I think 1.5 sticks of butter instead of 2.5 would be a good starting point. The cake itself cooked up beautifully. I’m going to make a second one with lime zest in the cake, and a coconut ginger sugar topping. Delish!!![4 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Mary Younkin says
While I make it exactly as written, I’m thrilled you made it work to your tastes. I bet a coconut lime variation will be delicious.
Diane Duchinski says
Now that change in flavor sure shoulds yummy as well here’s to much first time making these bars.
Fingers crossed 🤞
Colleen Caughey says
My topping did not look at all like your. It was very runny. Waiting for them to cool with fingers crossed.![2 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Mary Younkin says
The butter and cinnamon sugar should’ve been quite runny and able to be poured across the cake. Then it is returned to the oven to finish baking. It will firm up as it cools.