All the flavors of a cinnamon roll in an easy blondie bar. Soft and chewy blondies with a brown sugar-cinnamon swirl topped with cream cheese icing. Cozy flavors in every bite!
How often do I want to eat cinnamon rolls? Every day.
How often do I want to make cinnamon rolls? Ummmm… Never.
If you’re anything like me and don’t enjoy the process of making cinnamon rolls, I have good news. We now have easy Cinnamon Roll Blondies! All the flavors of a c-roll without all of the work.
Recipe overview
Blondies: These soft and chewy blondies are flavored with butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. The batter comes together in one bowl in about 5 minutes. Assemble the blondie batter and add it to an 8×8 pan.
Cinnamon swirl: A combination of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon get swirled into the top of the blondie batter. This cinnamon swirl adds tons of flavor!
Bake: Bake the blondies for about 22 minutes. Cool completely, then add the icing.
Cream cheese icing (optional): This icing is basically a thinner version of cream cheese frosting. Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle the icing over the top of the bars.
Recipe tips
- Don’t overbake. You want to pull these from the oven just before they are fully cooked through (the center should be a bit soft). They will set up as they cool, and under baking just a touch will ensure soft and chewy blondies.
- Line the pan with foil or parchment paper for easy removal and easy clean up.
- Cool completely. When these blondies are warm they will be quite soft. Once they cool they will firm up to the perfect consistency.
- Feel free to skip the cream cheese icing. These blondies are equally delicious with or without it.
Serving and storage
Serving: These brownies are best (extra soft and chewy!) when served at room temperature.
Storage: If you add the icing I recommend storing in the refrigerator. Without icing they will keep at room temp, tightly covered, for several days. I have not frozen this specific recipe but blondies typically freeze well.
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Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Blondies
Ingredients
Blondie base:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cups all purpose flour, see note
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon swirl:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
Cream cheese icing:
- 2 oz cream cheese, very soft (almost melted)
- 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- couple drops vanilla extract
Instructions
Blondies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 square pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar until smooth and combined (about one full minute). Whisk in egg and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder and salt over the top of the sugar mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir until the batter is combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Immediately proceed with the cinnamon swirl.
Cinnamon swirl:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar. Cook, whisking frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and salt.
- Dollop or drizzle the cinnamon mixture over the top of the blondie batter. Use the tip of a sharp knife to swirl it gently into the top of the blondies (you don't need to swirl all the way down to the bottom of the pan). Note: less swirling creates a more noticeable contrast. I use a figure-8 motion.
- Bake for 21-24 minutes, until it has puffed up a bit, the edges are set and beginning to brown, and the very center still has a slight jiggle. Be careful not to overbake. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely.
Cream cheese icing:
- Using a hand mixer or a whisk stir the cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, beating/whisking until combined. Adjust the consistency as needed by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin. Drizzle the icing over the top of the blondies.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Nellie Tracy
Delicious! Great recipe to have on hand this fall/winter!
wilhelmina
I really could eat these every day! They are amazing and so easy to whip up a batch. I am hooked!