Blondies are one of those bars I definitely started to bake more often. Buttery, soft, chewy, loaded with one of my favorite spice in the world – cinnamon, these delicious bars are packed with flavor and they are the perfect snack when you need a dessert in the shortest amount of time possible.
I read a lot of post where people were refering to blondies as Brownies without chocolate, but they are still completely two different cookie bars with completely different flavors. Although I’m a little obsessed with Brownies, but with Blondies, well that was a true love at the first sight, err taste, because these tastes amezballs.
I made my first Blondies back in September and I was delighted, as I’ve written above – a love at the first taste. Although they did not turn out very well visually, but that was when I got back to blogging and baking after pausing for 7 months, so my photography and baking skills were a bit rusty. Since then, I have made several other blondies recipes and I cannot wait to share the rest of these recipes with you. And, of course, they are ideal for a quick dessert, when you crave something sweet or if you have unannounced guests. In the latter case and in the past, my husband always “ran” to the pastry shop for some pastires/cakes, but now, to me that is absolutely unacceptable, because first, I can make a really quick dessert, if necessary, secondly, the taste of homemade cake is immeasurable with that of the pastry shop, and third and last but not least, it’s cheaper!
For me, blondies are one of the easiest cookie bars in the world. You only need 5 minutes to mix everything and about 20 minutes to bake, and you are rewarded with an incredible butterschotch taste, a flavourful combination of melted butter and brown sugar.
Whereas the quality dark chocolate is important with Brownies, for Blondies everything is about a brown sugar. That is why I exclusively use Muscovado sugar in this recipe, because it has tiny crystals and contains natural molasses that give them a special flavor and fudginess. Muscovado comes in two variants – light and dark, here I used light, but the combination of both would be even better.
FEW TIPS AND TRICKS
- I always suggest using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, buy it! They are cheap and you will always ensure same results in baking.
- I use Large eggs which are around 60-70 grams out of the shell. In US it would be an XL egg.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Use rubber spatula and mix just unit dry ingredients are incorporated.
- A real blondies, just like brownies, must be fudgy on the inside, so please don’t overbake it, because it will make them dry. The blondies are done, when the edges are browned and the middle is just set. They will continue to bake even after you take them out of the oven.
→If you make this blondies, please leave a comment, rate it and tag @mihaela_biteitquick on Instagram! I would love to see what you baked!
Happy baking,
Cinnamon Swirl Blondies
Ingredients
- 190 grams all-purpose flour (1 ½ cup)
- 180 grams butter melted and slightly cooled (3/4 cup)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 200 grams brown sugar light or dark (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon swirl:
- 50 grams brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 15 grams butter melted (1 Tablespoon)
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cream cheese glaze:
- 30 grams cream cheese (2 Tablespoons) softened
- 100-120 grams powdered sugar sifted (approx 1 cup)
- 15 grams butter softened (1 Tablespoon)
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a square 20x20cm (8x8-inch) baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat brown sugar and melted butter at medium-high speed for 2 minutes until mixture is light in color and fluffy. Add eggs one at the time, beating well after each addition. And in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and using rubber spatula mix until just until combined.
- Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing top.
- In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients for cinnamon swirl. Drop filling over top of batter and swirl using a knife.
- Bake until golden and still slightly soft in the middle, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before glazing. (The center will still be a little gooey, but they will continue to bake even after you take them out of the oven.) Please do not overbake them or they will be dry.
- For the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if glaze becomes too runny, and add more milk if it becomes too thick. Using a piping bag or spoon, drizzle cream cheese glaze onto cooled blondies.
Notes
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