These Churro Cinnamon Squares are loaded with spicy cinnamon in every bite. Warm and gooey in the center, crackly on top, and dusted with sparkling cinnamon sugar.
All about these Cinnamon Churro Squares…
These cinnamon bars seem simple, but they boast huge flavor and texture. Dense, chewy and flavored with brown sugar and cinnamon these blondies are topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar for an extra pop. These Cinnamon Churro Squares are:
- Soft and chewy with a dense texture.
- Buttery and sweet.
- Spiced with cinnamon.
- Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
- Simple to make-no equipment necessary.
- Easy, easy, easy, made using ingredients you most likely have on hand!
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on Some Ingredients:
- Flour: this recipe was tested using all purpose flour.
- Light Brown Sugar: adds a depth of flavoring and a chewy dense texture to the bars.
- Cinnamon: a healthy dose in the bars and on the top create a spicy flavoring reminiscent of a churro!
- Butter: use unsalted to control the salt in the bars.
How to Make (step-by-step):
- Combine the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl, stir together with a whisk or fork to combine.
- Mix together the wet ingredients: melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
- Combine the wet and dry together to create the batter. Bake in a prepared baking pan.
- Stir together the cinnamon and sugar. After bars have baked, brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Expert Tips:
- Melted Butter: using melted butter is what helps create that dense, chewy texture to the bars. Plus using melted butter allows us to make this recipe with no equipment since we’re not creaming the butter and sugars.
- Bake Time: the longer these bake, the more cake-like they become in texture. Be sure to be prompt in removing these bars from the oven.
- Parchment Paper: lining the baking pan with parchment paper helps ensure easy removal from the pan and allows for nice slicing when serving. Let the bars cool completely before slicing to allow for the clean cuts that you see in photos.
Churro Cinnamon Squares: FAQS
Blondies should be gooey in the center, if they’re not this could be due to over-baking. It’s also possible your oven is set too hot. In the next batch, bake at a lower temperature or cut the baking time.
When checking your blondies, look at the edges, if they are golden and pulling away from the baking pan, then they are done. Be sure not to overcook, the centers should remain gooey and not be overly dry or hard.
A blondie is similar to a brownie, with the difference being that a blondie doesn’t contain cocoa. It is made of vanilla and brown sugar which provides a rich depth of flavor thanks to the molasses.
More Cinnamon Dessert Recipes to Enjoy:
Churro Cinnamon Squares
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In small bowl mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- 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 30 mins. 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.
Notes
- Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: wrap in plastic wrap or foil, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer up to three months. Transfer to the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
Nutrition
Recipe first published February 13, 2018. Updated November 14, 2022 with new images and information.
Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
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?
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.?
YUM!! Made these tonight and they are amazing!! Thanks for the recipe.
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed!
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?
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.
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!!!
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!
Yay! So happy to hear it was a hit!
They look a-mazing! Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks so much Kadish 🙂
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,
So sorry they didn’t last longer! BUT what a great idea to still be able to enjoy them!
My kids said they are better than traditional blondies! Delicious!
Yay!! Thanks so much Bridget!
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.
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?
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.
My house smells amazing right now! Excited to try these!!:) Thanks for the recipe!
Don’t they smell heavenly?! Hope they turned out! Enjoy 🙂
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 ?
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 🙂
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.
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 🙁
WOULD I HAVE TO DOUBLE THE RECIPE FOR A 9X13 PAN
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!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. They are baking right now. The house smells so good!
They smell heavenly right!? How did they turn out??
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:)
They smell amazing right?! I hope you enjoyed 🙂 Thanks for sharing your story Tatianna!
Love the chewy texture of these the next day. So far, 2 of my nephews have really enjoyed them also.
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 🙂
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!!
Totally making these! I love a recipe that isn’t afraid of spices! A whole tablespoon of cinnamon has to be divine!
They are divine!!! Can’t go wrong with that much brown sugar and cinnamon 🙂 Thanks so much Melissa! xo