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
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter {113g}
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar {146g}
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour {125g}
- 1/2 tsp salt
cinnamon sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature {mine was low fat}
- 2 tbsp butter at room temperature {28g}
- 1/4 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 -2/3 of the way full.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture {~1/4 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