Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bars

Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bars are quick and easy to make! Cinnamon and sugar cookie dough is rolled up and topped with a drizzle of cream cheese.

These Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bars combine all the delicious flavors of a delicious cinnamon roll rolled up in a fun little cookie.

They’re quick and easy to make, and if you promise to bake a little less cookie, you’ll absolutely love them!

Cinnamon Roll and Blondie Dough

The cookie dough is simple and straightforward.

Plus, the recipe calls for melted butter, which makes the bars even easier to make. Grab a bowl and a spatula or spoon and you’re good to go. No need to get out the heavy duty industrial mixer.

The dough is basic, save for the addition of ground cinnamon. Although cinnamon and sugar will be added to the tops of the bars, the extra cinnamon in the cookie dough enhances that much-needed flavor.

Spread and swirl

Once the batter is spread in the pan, a simple mixture of brown sugar + granulated sugar + cinnamon is sprinkled on top and then stirred into the batter.

There is no scientific method for making swirls. I take a butter knife or a small spoon and move back and forth until the cinnamon and sugar are incorporated into the batter and everything looks nice and swirly.

Remember: the cream cheese isn’t here yet, so the surfaces of the bars don’t need to be perfectly symmetrical and perfect. We’re advocating the art of delicious chaos here.

It’s important at this point that I implore you not to overdo the bars. In fact, if you’re going to err on one side or the other, err on the side of underbaking them. You don’t want them raw and gooey, just soft and buttery.

Cream Cheese Frosting

The frosting is actually just a small batch of your typical cream cheese frosting:

• Cream cheese
• Shortening
• Vanilla
• Powdered sugar
• A little bit of cream or milk

This is probably enough frosting to spread a thin layer to completely cover the bars.

But I like to put the frosting in the corner of a Ziploc bag, cut the corner off, and pipe it over the bars in zigzag lines.

Pro tip: Add a few tablespoons of cream or milk to your frosting recipe for a thinner frosting/icing that can be drizzled onto the bars instead of using a pastry bag.

The smooth, sweet cream cheese frosting with the chewy cookie bars topped with cinnamon sugar is a dreamy combination.

With the prominent cinnamon and sugar vibes, these bars could also pass for a snickerdoodle blondie.

But it’s the cream cheese frosting that defines these bars as a delicious cinnamon roll blondie bar.

Cookie Bars Change

I’ll never resist an old chocolate chip cookie bar (or any cookie bar recipe for that matter), but sometimes it’s fun to step away from the classics and try something new.

These cinnamon roll bars are awesome.

One-bowl dough Crunchy cinnamon-sugar filling Cream cheese frosting To all you cinnamon lovers, these are for you. And me. (It’s been a month and I’ve happily eaten all my cinnamon roll as bars part of my new year’s plan, trying to survive.)

Hope you like them!

Blondie Bars with Cinnamon Rolls and Cream Cheese

Number of pieces: 15 pieces

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:

• 1 cup (227g) melted butter (I use salted)
• 1 cup (212g) lightly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup (106g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs (100g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups (320g) all-purpose flour
• Cinnamon + Sugar:
• 3 tablespoons (27g) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons (27g) brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese:

• 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon (14g) butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (114g) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch metal pan (if using a glass pan or dark nonstick pan, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees) or line pan with parchment paper or foil and lightly grease.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in flour until no dry streaks remain.
4. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan.
5. Mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Use a butter knife to move mixture back and forth until sugar and cinnamon are incorporated into batter.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and edges are slightly puffed (add time if mixture is still moist, but don’t overbake; bars should be soft in the middle).
7. Let bars cool completely.
8. For the cream cheese frosting, in a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together the cream cheese frosting, butter, and vanilla until smooth and creamy, about 30-45 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and cream or milk and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If desired, add more cream or milk for a thinner consistency (for drizzling, not decorating).
9. Place the cream cheese frosting in the corner of a plastic bag or other decorative bag. Snip off the corner and spread the frosting across the bars in a zigzag or straight lines. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator.