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
Delicious, but next time, I’ll halve the sugar/cinnamon topping.
I made them with gluten free flour and they turned out great! Taking them to my church supper tomorrow night. Thanks for a yummy recipe.
What do you think would go better, cream cheese frosting or vanilla ice cream? Looking forward to trying this!
Either one would be wonderful! I don’t think you could go wrong with whichever you decide to use.
Thinking about topping with cream cheese icing…do you think this would be good?
Absolutely!
How do I double it and what pan size?
I think a 9 x 13 pan would work.
Absolutely love these. Have been making them for over a year now and they are hit with my daughter and I. Always our go to sweet when we choose to bake.
I love this recipe! These bars are so flavorful and chewy!
Quite disappointed as it came out to be cake-like after 25 minutes of baking. I followed the recipe and made a few changes by adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder. This shouldn’t drastically change the consistency of the blondies. Was aiming for a gooey brownie blondie but it came out as a dry soft sponge cake. Taste wise, it was okay.
Hey! This recipe is great! I made some tweaks to spice amounts (because I’m a rebel and don’t know how to follow directions :P) and used a 9×13 pan because it was what I had. This isn’t a criticism at all but I figured I’d offer it up as a reference point for anyone who may be in that predicament. At 25 minutes in a 9×13 pan for my oven they were more like the cakey/brownie texture described at the 30 minute mark in 9×9 pan. They were still very good when they came out of my oven and not at all dry! However, if you’re looking for a more gooey consistency and you only have a 9×13 I would probably aim for the 15-20 minute marker and just keep an eye on it. These things are delicious either way! 😀
This recipe looks great! I’m thinking of making the batter at my house and baking it a relatives for a dinner part tomorrow so they’re fresh and warm when we’re ready to eat dessert. Would this change the texture of the blondies?
Hi Shannon! I love the idea of pre-making the batter. I don’t know if it will change the texture though, since I haven’t done that before. It’s possible that it will, since a lot of the air will have worked it’s way out of the batter overnight I imagine.
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.
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.
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!
Mine are baking right now, great recipe but I added 1/4 tsp salt too the dry ingredients. Gotta have a little salt.
They’re in the oven now! Midnight cooking but they smell so good I don’t think our apartment neighbors will mind!
Why mine is not crack like yours ? cuz I didn’t put sugar on top ?
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.
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 !!
So glad you enjoyed them!
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.
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.
Could I add chopped apples to these?
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!
Is there a way to make them nondairy using oil or margarine instead of butter?