These cinnamon roll blondie bites are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and smothered with cream cheese frosting. A one-bite dose of cinnamon roll flavor!
Does anyone else find it slightly annoying that the moment...the very second...that the clock strikes midnight on Halloween and the calendar turns to November, that Christmas everything starts appearing?
I have seen my first Christmas shopping ad up on TV this week. People have their lights up, and on! They are selling advent calenders at the grocery store {I totally have my eye on one of those super expensive Lindt ones}. And it just feels like, in general, everyone is gearing up for the holidays.
Not me! We still have our pumpkin out on the front step. My little protest...ha! More like laziness. But it will be several weeks before I ask Ben to get our lights up, and there aren't any Christmassy recipes up my sleeve anytime soon.
For now you will have to settle for these little cinnamon roll blondie bites.
Reasons you'll ♡ these cinnamon roll blondie bites
- they are perfect for a baby shower or party
- you can make them ahead (keeping frosting separate)
- they taste just like a cinnamon roll
Do you love mini food as much as me? I have been on a bit of a mini kick in the past few months. Lemon Meringue Pie Bites. Cranberry Sauce Mini Cheesecakes. And now these Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bites!
Mini food just tastes better. Scientific fact.
These mini blondies were kind of a last resort, but now that I've eaten them, I wouldn't have it any other way! I was actually trying to do some sort of cinnamon swirl blondie bar...it just wasn't happening, and I couldn't solve the mystery of the sinking blondies {a mystery I thought I'd solved back in the spring!!}
So instead, I decided to break out my mini muffin pan.
And these mini blondies had the perfect texture: chewy edges, soft inside. Rather than doing a cinnamon sugar swirl, I decided to just sprinkle some over the tops. And the cream cheese frosting was a given {although it was going to be piped cream cheese frosting, until I realized that low fat cream cheese doesn't really do that}.
So as you guys can tell, these mini blondies were a happy accident. They don't look how I thought they would look, they are kind of a rag-tag bunch of little punks. The important part is that they taste even better than I'd imagined! There is no mistaking that cinnamon roll flavor! {Or smell, your house will smell ah-mazing.}
Side note: Cinnabon is directly across from the maternity clothing store in my local mall, and when I was pregnant, the amazing smell of cinnamon buns dragged me over there on more than one occasion. Well played, Cinnabon, well played.
So. Mini blondies. Cinnamon Sugar. Cream Cheese frosting.
Not a bad plan B at all!
Tips & equipment for cinnamon roll blondie bites
- for this recipe you'll need a mini muffin pan (I own this one), and an electric hand mixer
- make the base and frosting ahead and combine just before serving
- looking for more fun finger foods? Check out these Strawberry Balsamic Bites, these Mini Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Cheesecakes and these Moroccan Chickpea Sliders
Cinnamon Roll Blondie Bites
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter {113g}
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar {146g}
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour {125g}
- ½ tsp salt
cinnamon sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature {mine was low fat}
- 2 tbsp butter at room temperature {28g}
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup icing sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Spray two 12-count mini muffin pans with oil to grease, rub cavities with a paper towel to thoroughly spread oil, and set aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix until no lumps remain.
- If mixture is still hot, allow to cool for a few minutes before mixing in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix until smooth and no flour remains.
- Spoon about ½ tbsp of batter into each cavity of the mini muffin pan. Be sure not to fill more than ½ -⅔ of the way full.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture {~¼ tsp per mini blondie}
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, sides will be golden brown and a toothpick will come out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan. To remove from the pan, use a knife to loosen edges, they should then pop right out. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
cream cheese frosting
- Cream together cream cheese and butter for two minutes until completely smooth. Beat in the vanilla, then the icing sugar. Taste and decide if you'd like to add more sugar.
- Spread evenly over tops of cooled mini blondies. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl
Ruph
What can I use as a substitute for eggs?
Denise Bustard
Hi Ruph, unfortunately I can't say if this will work with egg replacers without retesting. Would you let me know how it goes if you give it a try?
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
LOVE the mini blondies!!! These look so good!! I know what you mean, the day after Halloween, it's like .. on to the next! it's too fast! I still have my pumpkins (3) our on our front porch too! 🙂 and I loved hearing about the Cinnabon across from the maternity clothing store in your local mall. Now, that's brilliant.
Denise
Yes, those Cinnabon people have a great marketing strategy, don't they? Glad to hear I"m not the only one with my pumpkin still out, Alice! It's a lot of effort to carve them, we should enjoy them a bit longer, I think 😉
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel
How adorable are these!? And they sound so yummy too! You can't go wrong with cinnamon roll ANYTHING!
Denise
I totally agree with you, Jess! 🙂
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
The shops here in the UK have been sneaking in Christmas stuff here for a while already ... and I have to admit that I did actually buy some wrapping paper yesterday. For me I think it's the dark and cold weather that does it. It just feels Christmasy. Last year I was in Australia and honestly hardly noticed Christmas!
Anyway, back to these cute little cakeys. I do love mini things too, not least because then you don't feel such a piggie when you eat more than one. Love the cream cheese icing - these would be great at a party!
Denise
I totally know what you're saying, Helen! We have had our daylight savings here and now it gets dark at 5:00....so sad! And I definitely ate more than one at a time, Helen 😉
Isadora @ she likes food
I bet they totally put the cinnabon there on purpose! How mean! These look amazing and they are so creative! I just finished dinner and really could go for some of these right now! I can't believe people already have their christmas lights up! We are also lazy and haven't taken down our Halloween lights yet, but I'm too embarrassed to turn them on 🙂
Denise
I think half of their marketing strategy at cinnabon is the smell. It is soooo hard to resist! Thanks, Isadora 🙂
Andrea @ Cooking with Mamma C
You are so funny! I think these "rag-tag bunch of little punks" look adorable. I like that you can have the cinnamon roll experience without eating a slab of dough (which has its merits though). 🙂
Denise
Aw thanks! I had visions of piped cream cheese frosting, and they look....more rustic...than I'd imagined. But who cares, they tasted good! 😀 Thanks, Andrea!
katie
I love mini food, so snackable! These cinnamon bites look like the perfect sweet treat 🙂
I also have my pumpkins {rotting} on the front porch. The kids are very attached to them, I'm going to have to sneak them into the garbage!
Denise
Luckily Kai didn't think too much of the pumpkin....maybe next year! Good luck sneaking those pumpkins away, Katie 🙂
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
These are certainly a happy accident (I love when that happens)! These mini treats look wonderful Denise - and yes, everything mini is better!
And I totally hear ya on the Cinabon front. There was a Cinnabon on my way home from school back in High School - haha the wonderful smell "dragged' me in there on more than one occassion! Pinned!
Denise
Yes, let's wait till December to celebrate! Our Thanksgiving in Canada was in early October, so we have nothing between us and Christmas...I can see why some people can't help but get excited. Thanks, Cailee 🙂
Denise
Aww, thanks, Nicole! Simple is best, right? 😉
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel
I have to admit, I am thinking Christmas before Halloween is even over.... And this year is even worse because I'm due Dec. 15ish, so I'm trying to get all my Christmas baking and decorating fun in before then! These look totally amazing!
Denise
Aww, you are going to get the best Christmas present ever, Ashley! No wonder you're thinking about Christmas. I would totally be baking up some Christmas cookies if I were you, to bank some blog posts 😉
Annie @Maebells
Oh my gooooooshhhhh I am swooning over here! These look fantastic! I love little mini things like this, except I eat like 20 instead of 2 like a normal person! ha!
Denise
Errr, I may have eaten my fair share...it's hard to keep track of mini things 😉 Thanks, Annie!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
I think it's insane that they pulled out the Christmas decorations even in October - right beside the Halloween stuff! I love that you are sharing cinnamon roll blondie bites instead. They look amazing! I am obsessed with mini and bite sized desserts - they're so much more adorable and fun to eat 🙂
Denise
Maybe they only wanted one trip to the attic, haha! Thanks, Kelly!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Starbucks debuted their Christmas cups on the 1st, so crazy! But I definitely have to find a Lindt advent calendar! These cinnamon roll bites look delicious, Denise! Foods in mini form always taste better, especially desserts like this!
Denise
Oh Gayle, those Lindt advent calendars are to DIE for. Only problem is they are like $12, but in my opinion, worth the money, so much better than the waxy $1 advent calenders 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
I KNOW! So on Monday I went to meet a friend at Peet's Coffee. The coffee cups were already Christmas, and they were playing Christmas music! Um, it was Nov 3. Crazy! My house is staying decorated with gourds and wheat until the weekend after Thanksgiving, I'm with you. These little blondie bites sound so good! Perfect and bite sized.
Denise
It's bad! Well, at least it's not as bad as when I lived in Australia, I swear there was Christmas music/decorations etc in the grocery store in September. I was astounded! Poor Aussies, they have no Halloween or Thanksgiving to keep them distracted. So September; Christmas stuff