Mash up recipes are my favorite. I love putting a twist on a classic. It’s so fun to see how one recipe evolves when it is combined with another. I’ve made Banana Bread Blondies and Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls, to name a few, and I am never disappointed by the surprising combination.
It’s the best way to get creative juices flowing. It also ensures the possibilities for baking (and cooking) are endless. And let’s face it, in this Pinterest and five second attention span society, it keeps us all interested.
That’s why blondies are crashing the party again for day four of brownie week, and they brought a friend along for the ride.
Cinnamon Roll Blondies are everything you want them to be and then some. Let’s start with the base. It’s a dense and fudgy, giant underbaked cookie that is leavened just right with a hint of baking soda. I upped the cinnamon in the base because it’s my favorite spice and I can never have enough.
Then I upped the cinnamon in the swirl because cinnamon. Oh, and this entire recipe, it’s doubled. Why make an eight inch pan full of blondies when you can make a nine by thirteen???
Then there’s the frosting. As if these gorgeous, swirly blondies weren’t enough all by themselves, they get frosting. A thick layer of cream cheese frosting. But this isn’t any cream cheese frosting, it’s brown sugar cream cheese frosting which gives a maple like vibe that all cinnamon rolls and their mash up counterparts need forever and ever.
Are you ready for the final day of brownie week tomorrow? It’s my favorite brownie of all time, so be sure to check it out!
Cinnamon Roll Blondies {Brownie Week}
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18 blondies 1x
Ingredients
Blondies
- 2 sticks melted unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Swirl
- ½ stick melted unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch pan.
- Make the blondies. In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.
- Make the swirl. In a small bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Dollop onto blondie batter and swirl in using a knife. Bake about 20 minutes until puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan.
- Once cool, make the frosting. In a large bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add both sugars and beat until creamy and fully combined. Beat in the vanilla, and spread onto the blondies. Cut and serve. Blondies may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag. Thaw in the refrigerator 2-3 hours.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Confessions of a Baking Queen
Yum!I love the extra cinnamon- and the bigger size- these always go so quick! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the recipe, Elizabeth! It is ah-mazing!
That frosting is gorgeouuuuus and the blondies just look so delicious and full of cinnamon-y deliciousness!