Cinnamon Blondies! The ULTIMATE soft & chewy cinnamon blondie! Easy dessert recipe.
These cinnamon blondies are loaded with spicy cinnamon in every bite. Warm and gooey in the center, crackly on top, and dusted with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. These bars smell heavenly while baking, and taste even better!
What is a Blondie?
A blondie is basically a brownie. The difference being that a blondie doesn’t contain cocoa and is comprised of more brown sugar which provides a rich depth of flavor thanks to the molasses. Plus the moisture from the brown sugar provides blondies a bit more chewiness.
A slight under-baking will ensure that the centers are nice and gooey while still being cooked and safe to eat. I found that baking between 25-30 minutes is prime time for taking these out of the oven. How gooey you want them to be is really up to you and what time you take them out. At 25 minutes you will need to give them some time to cool before cutting since the center will be very gooey. At 30 minutes these bars have more of a solid, almost cookie/cake like texture.
Personally 28 minutes in my oven gave the perfect texture for me.
After the bars have cooled and you go to cut into them you will notice the very top of the bars is like a crust. So as you cut the crust will slightly crack, which is absolutely gorgeous!
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Cinnamon Blondies! The ULTIMATE soft & chewy cinnamon blondie! Easy dessert recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with foil. Grease the foil with baking spray or butter. Set aside.
- In medium bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
- Add the brown sugar and butter to a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium low to medium heat for about 5 minutes or until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool for approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the flour mixture. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 mins. Bars will be very gooey in the center at 25 minutes. They will be more cake like at 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl. Brush the top of the bars with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Lift the bars out by holding the foil and set to continue cooling on a wire rack.
Notes
Can also be made in an 8×8 baking pan also. The bars will be thicker and bake for about 30 minutes for gooey bars.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 200
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
Adapted from a recipe in Better Homes & Garden magazine, 100 Best Cookies.
**This recipe has been updated as of February 13, 2018. There were comments that the recipe was turning out too dry for some. The changes in the recipe of reducing the amount of flour and shortening the bake time should prevent any of those problems!
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Melissa says
Totally making these! I love a recipe that isn’t afraid of spices! A whole tablespoon of cinnamon has to be divine!
Serene says
They are divine!!! Can’t go wrong with that much brown sugar and cinnamon 🙂 Thanks so much Melissa! xo
Virginia Matthias says
I’ve never made Brownies before let alone Blondies. These looked good and I had all the ingredients so I figured I’d give it a mix 🙂 . I don’t have a counter mixer type (ended up having to use my hands to get all the flour mixed in) and was that ever sticky / messy! I didn’t have an 9×9 pan, so ended up using an 8×8.
When done, I have that slightly chewy middle, crusty outside. I don’t know if it was the size difference, but most of the sugar / cinnamon mix fell off top.
That being said, I do like them. They’re pretty darn tasty. Not sure if I’ll make them again (at least not until I have a real mixer), but I did enjoy them. I plan on picking up some french vanilla ice cream to go with them tomorrow 🙂
★★★★
Serene says
Hi Virginia! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! Not so much the baking experience it sounds like though. I’m so sorry. The batter would be sticky and messy to work with your hands due to the butter and sugars. As for the cinnamon sugar mixture on the top, make sure you’re brushing the top with the melted butter, the cinnamon sugar should stick to the butter and kind of melt onto the bars. I imagine these would be AMAZING with some ice cream!!
Virginia Matthias says
Love the chewy texture of these the next day. So far, 2 of my nephews have really enjoyed them also.
★★★★
Tatianna says
These are in my oven right now (325 F convection) they smell fantastic! Bringing them over to a family dinner Tonight! Should be a hit. Very easy to make, my 3 year old had fun helping me:)
Serene says
They smell amazing right?! I hope you enjoyed 🙂 Thanks for sharing your story Tatianna!
Leslie says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. They are baking right now. The house smells so good!
Serene says
They smell heavenly right!? How did they turn out??
GAYLE says
WOULD I HAVE TO DOUBLE THE RECIPE FOR A 9X13 PAN
Serene says
Hi Gayle! Actually, no. The recipe calls for a 9×9 pan. If you’re wanting to make it in a 9×13, you would be better off not doubling it, but adding an extra half of the recipe. There’s an article here: http://food52.com/blog/13239-how-to-make-your-baking-recipe-fit-your-pan-size, that goes into depth on how changing the size of the pan can affect the outcome of a recipe. I hope this helps you!
Amanda says
I made these for a dinner party and they were pretty good I was surprised to see how thick this batter became at the end, thank god for the electric mixer!! I didn’t have a 9×9 pan, I own an 8×8 and 11×7 so I opted for the 11×7 so I wouldn’t have to deal with an undercooked center. Considering I used a pan that made them a little thinner I probably should’ve baked them for 30 minutes and then kept an eye on them…they turned out a little dry.
Serene says
Hi Amanda! You’re definitely right about the cooking time being off when baking this amount in a larger pan. I’m so sorry they turned out dry 🙁
Sharidan says
i just made these tonight for the second time! Thistimethougb I put s layer of strawberry jam in the middle… SO GOOD! Tastes just like sham doughnut 😜
Serene says
Sheridan! I’m so happy you like the recipe. Adding jam in the middle sounds like an amazing idea! I’m going to have to try that out 🙂
Katy says
My house smells amazing right now! Excited to try these!!:) Thanks for the recipe!
Serene says
Don’t they smell heavenly?! Hope they turned out! Enjoy 🙂
Phantom24601 says
These look amazing! Do you think there’s anyway I could substitute some molasses or honey for part of the brown sugar. We just got some amazing local honey. Would it throw everything off?
Serene says
Hi! You are so lucky to get your hands on some local honey! That’s always the best 🙂 You can definitely try adding it to the recipe, but it might throw things off since the honey is a wet ingredient and the brown sugar is a dry ingredient. Usually some other slight modifications need to be made when making changes like that.
Phantom24601 says
Yes, it is the best kind of honey. So much more complex and less sugary than store bought. Thanks for answering. I’ll probably just make the recipe as it then and save the honey for something else.
Bridget Miller says
My kids said they are better than traditional blondies! Delicious!
Serene says
Yay!! Thanks so much Bridget!
Deb says
Made these, got too well done, not yet burnt, so very rock hard the next day…BUT tasted and smelled amazing.
SO ground to crumbs and plan on a simple cookie ball rolled in the crumbs, like a snicker doodle. Thanks,
Serene says
So sorry they didn’t last longer! BUT what a great idea to still be able to enjoy them!
Kadish says
They look a-mazing! Can’t wait to try them.
Serene says
Thanks so much Kadish 🙂
Aya Mustafa says
THIS DESSERT WAS BEYOND AMAZING!!!
Even my younger sister who is very picky with this stuff adores it! One of the best things I’ve ever tasted! Definitely going to make this many more times!
Serene says
Yay! So happy to hear it was a hit!
Chris says
These are wonderful!!! I am in a house with 2 men who cannot bake, so I am now their miracle LOL They both loved these and the only thing that could make it better is a huge scoop of french vanilla ice cream rolled across the top.
I did bake these in a 9×13 pan, and I did double the recipe. Mine turned out fine, baked at exactly 40 minutes, and they are still nice and moist and chewy this next day. Yes, the batter is quite thick and you have a little bit of a chore to spread it in the pan, but I had the butter greased foil sheet in there and they turned out fantastic. I did lift them out of the pan for cooling, but then put them back in the pan still on the foil sheet for storage and put a lid loosely over the pan to cover it.
I did preheat the oven, and set a timer, and watched them the last 20 minutes like a hawk, pacing the floor and watching the timer, because I so wanted them to turn out well. They did!!!
Emily says
Hi Serene,
These sound delicious, but I’m a bit worried about the sweetness being too overwhelming because of the two cups of brown sugar. As the recipe stands, are they very sweet, or does it balance out with the other ingredients?
Serene says
I was worried about the amount of sugar myself!! But they turn out wonderfully. They’re not overwhelmingly sweet, the cinnamon is a wonderful balance.
alex says
YUM!! Made these tonight and they are amazing!! Thanks for the recipe.
Serene says
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed!
Lorely Fritz says
Yum, yum, yum, delicious , thankyou for the recipe. .i cooked them to the recipe first time, .second time I add more butter, turned out wonderful.😋
Craig says
Hi. I tried making this recipe. It sounded amazing. But when I took the sugar butter mixture off the stove to cool for ten minutes it became hard as rock and couldn’t do anything with it. I hard to throw away all the ingredients. I really want to make these. Any idea what I did wrong?
Lia says
Is there a way to make them nondairy using oil or margarine instead of butter?
Elly says
Could I add chopped apples to these?
Serene says
Hi Elly! Due to the texture of these, (they are made mainly with brown sugar and butter!) I don’t think they would hold up well with fruit added. A recipe that is more cake-like would be much better!
Cherie says
I just made these this afternoon and I was a bit disappointed. I followed the directions, made no substitutions, the only thing I did different was to double the recipe and bake in a parchment lined 9×13 pan. I took them out at the 40 minute mark, cooled them on a wire rack, but they were terribly dry. Maybe if I underbaked them (taking them out at the 30-35 minute mark) they would’ve been a bit more moist?? I don’t know. These bars tasted more cake-like to me. I think with some vanilla ice cream this may be better but on their own, to me, it’s just not what I was expecting.
Serene says
With baking, doubling the recipe doesn’t always give the same results. Especially with changing the size of pan you’re baking in, keeping the same baking time. You can’t expect to achieve the same results. I’m so sorry that your changes to the recipe didn’t give the results you were hoping for.
Debbie says
Made these for the family and they loved them. I didn’t heat the sugar and butter on the stove, just mixed it up with the eggs, added the dry ingredients to the wet and put it in the oven.
Will definitely make these again !!
★★★★★
Serene says
So glad you enjoyed them!
Lipso says
Why mine is not crack like yours 😫 cuz I didn’t put sugar on top ?
Serene says
Mine always crack when I cut them when they’re still warm. If you wait until they are completely cooled they don’t do crack.
Mads Klee says
They’re in the oven now! Midnight cooking but they smell so good I don’t think our apartment neighbors will mind!
★★★★★
Liz says
Mine are baking right now, great recipe but I added 1/4 tsp salt too the dry ingredients. Gotta have a little salt.
Brittany says
These were a huge hit all around. I added 1/4 tsp salt, about 1/4 tsp allspice and about 1/2 tsp nutmeg to the dry ingredients. I was told these were some of the best desserts I’ve made and to put them at the top of my “go-to” list. Thank you!
★★★★
Jamie says
How gooey is very gooey in the center? I did have to use an 8×8 pan but they have been baking for almost an hour now and when I poke the middle with a knife they are like basically the texture of the butter and brown sugar mix (like before you add the eggs and dry ingredients)
I know you won’t be able to answer this right now but just for future reference, just in case these ones don’t come out right.
Great recipe though, super easy to make and they do smell so delicious while they are baking.
★★★★★
Serene says
Hmm.. It’s so hard to know when I’m not there to see. But you should see the top is baked. It’s just the middle that is a bit gooey. But once they sit out and cool they firm up.