Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting puts baking powder, baking soda and ground cinnamon at the center of a brownie recipe and finishes in about 70 minutes, enough for 15 bars.

• Yield 15 bars
• Ready in 70 minutes
• Prep 40 minutes
• Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients

Cookie dough

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

Cinnamon + Sugar

• 3 tablespoons ( 27 g ) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons ( 27 g ) brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

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

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a metal 9X13-inch pan (if using glass or a dark nonstick pan, decrease the oven temp to 325 degrees) or line the pan with parchment or foil and lightly grease.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well-combined.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour until no dry streaks remain.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
5. Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Use a butter knife to swirl the batter back and forth so the cinnamon sugar is cut into the batter.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and edges are slightly puffed (add time if the batter is still wet, but don't overbake - the bars should be soft in the center).
7. Let the bars cool completely.
8. For the cream cheese frosting, in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until light and creamy, 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 additional cream or milk for a thinner consistency (to drizzle rather than pipe).
9. Scoop the cream cheese frosting into the corner of a ziploc or other plastic or piping bag. Snip the corner and pipe the frosting across the bars in zigzag or straight lines. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers well-covered in the refrigerator.

Cool the pan before you lift the squares.