Cinnamon Roll Blondies
There aren't many things that can't be improved with cream cheese. Or, at least that is my philosophy! I really wanted to make a fun dessert with the flavors of cinnamon rolls without having to go through the trouble of making them from scratch. And thus, Cinnamon Roll Blondies were born!
Ingredients
| ½ cup (115 g) | unsalted butter, cubed | |
| ½ cup (110 g) | light brown sugar | |
| ½ cup (100 g) | granulated sugar | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | vanilla extract |
| 2 | large eggs | |
| 1¼ cups (150 g) | all-purpose flour | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | baking powder |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | ground cinnamon |
| ¾ tsp | 3.8 ml | kosher salt |
| ¼ cup (55 g) | dark brown sugar (cinnamon swirl) | |
| 1 tbsp (6 g) | ground cinnamon (cinnamon swirl) | |
| 1 oz (28 g) | cream cheese, softened (icing) | |
| 1 tbsp (15 g) | unsalted butter, softened (icing) | |
| ¾ cup (90 g) | powdered sugar (icing) | |
| 1½ tbsp (23 ml) | milk (icing) | |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | vanilla bean paste (icing) |
Instructions
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes. Yield: 16 bars.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20-cm) pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray and then line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Grease the parchment with butter or nonstick cooking spray and then set it aside.
To make the blondies, place the butter in a light-colored skillet. (The light-colored skillet will help you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once melted, the butter will start to foam. Keep stirring. After 5 to 8 minutes, the butter will begin browning; you'll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and you'll start to smell a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from the heat, pour into a large heatproof mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
Once the brown butter has cooled slightly, add the light brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk. Add the vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.
Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and stir until just combined. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it in an even layer.
To make the cinnamon swirl, in a small bowl, stir the dark brown sugar and cinnamon together. Drop large spoonfuls of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the blondie batter, then top it with the remaining batter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the blondies are golden brown and set around the edges. (The middle will look a little doughy, but they will continue to cook as they cool!)
To make the cream cheese icing, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and combined, then beat in the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla bean paste.
Once the blondies are cool, drizzle them with the cream cheese icing before cutting into bars.
Cover and store leftover blondies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.