You’ll get all the flavours of cinnamon rolls in these cinnamon roll blondies, with a nutty backdrop from brown butter and swirls of cinnamon sugar and cream cheese.
If you’re craving the flavours of cinnamon rolls, but without all the work, these cinnamon roll blondies will fit the bill perfectly. The lovely, brown butter blondie base is swirled with cinnamon sugar and cream cheese, for a sweet treat that keeps well and is freezeable, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter, though unsalted butter is the preferred choice if you have some on hand. Adjust the added salt per the instructions in the recipe card if using salted butter.
Cream cheese – When it comes to baking, you’ll always want to start with full-fat block cream cheese. Light cream cheese doesn’t perform well in baking, and any of the cream cheese in tubs has been aerated to some degree to make it spreadable, which can also affect baking outcomes.
How to make cinnamon roll blondies
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the recipe card below when making the recipe.
- Start by browning part of the butter until golden. Remove from the heat.
- Add the remaining butter off the heat and stir it in (this cools down the butter and prevents it from over-browning).
- Add the white and brown sugars to the saucepan and stir in. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- While the saucepan mixture is cooling, mix together the ingredients for the cinnamon swirl and set aside.
- Mix together the ingredients for the cream cheese swirl and set aside.
- Returning to the cooled saucepan, add the eggs and whisk in.
- Add the flour mixture to the batter and stir in just until combined.
- Add the batter to the 8×8-inch baking pan and dollop the cinnamon mixture and cream cheese mixture on to the top of the batter.
- Use a knife to swirl the cinnamon and cream cheese into the batter, then bake.
Recipe tips!
- When testing the blondies for doneness, try to test in a spot with just batter and no swirl mixture, so you can get an accurate test.
- These blondies will keep well in an air-tight container for several days, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (140 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, DIVIDED
- 1/2 cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, reduce to 1/4 tsp if using salted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg , at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 2 oz (57 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon butter, at room temperature
- Pinch salt, omit if using salted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (non-convection/not fan-assisted). Grease and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 Tablespoons of the butter and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter. Stir in until melted.
- Add the white and brown sugars, vanilla and salt to the saucepan. Stir to combine. Let cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, make the swirl fillings.
- For the cinnamon sugar swirl: In a saucepan or in the microwave, melt the sugar and butter until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- For the cream cheese swirl: Mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.
- Returning to the blondie batter, once it has cooled to room temperature, add the egg and egg yolks and whisk in until combined. Add the flour mixture, stirring just until combined.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Dollop the cream cheese and cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. (See step-by-step photos for an example of how to place the dollops.) Drag the tip of a knife through the batter, creating swirls.
- Tip! When testing the blondies for doneness, try to test in a spot with just batter and no swirl mixture, so you can get an accurate test.
- Bake the blondies for 25-30 minutes until a tester comes out with a only couple of crumbs.
- Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Recipe adapted from a Sarah Kiefer recipe.
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
