Cinnamon blondies are buttery, chewy, soft and studded with cinnamon candies. They have flavors of a cinnamon roll swirl while being quick and easy to make. The red hot candies add sweetness and a touch of spiciness that makes them irresistible!
This post was originally published in January of 2021 and has been updated with helpful information and new photos. The recipe remains the same. Although I did make the process easier!
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Blondies with cinnamon, like my snickerdoodle cookie bars, are full of cinnamon flavor. As a busy mom and lifetime baker with over 25 years of experience in the kitchen, I always love desserts that are quick and easy to make; like lemon blondies, raspberry blondies or peanut butter blondies. This simple recipe takes a cinnamon blondie to a new level with the addition of cinnamon candies!
This recipe is different from many cinnamon blondie recipes as you don’t have to swirl anything in. And no frosting or cinnamon sugar is needed. Just mix the batter, add red hot candies, press in the pan, bake and enjoy! Whether you want to add them to your fall baking or include them for Valentine’s Day or Christmas, this blondies recipe is sure to become a favorite.
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🛒 ingredient notes
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
Cinnamon candies ~ Red Hots or Cinnamon Imperial Hearts are small with a fiery cinnamon flavor.
Sugars ~ we are using a combination of both white and brown sugar in this cinnamon blondie recipe. The brown sugar brings more chewy texture and adds an extra rich flavor.
Eggs ~ one large egg is used plus one large egg yolk. The extra yolk adds chewiness and richness. The extra egg white can be used to make a vanilla snack cake or candy cane cake.
Cornstarch ~ this secret {or not so secret!} baking ingredient brings softness and chewiness to the blondie bars.
♥️ do I need Red Hots for this recipe?
Red Hots are what work best in the recipe. I used Brach's Cinnamon Imperial Hearts in my testing, which I have always called red hots. Ferrara makes “The Original Red Hots”, which would also work well.
Hot Tamales were also tested in this recipe. My testers preferred the Red Hots because they have a little crunch to them after being baked. The Hot Tamales taste delish and are a great substitute, but they give a little more chew to the cookie bars.
Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.
🥣 how to make cinnamon cookie bars
Start by preheating the oven and lining an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Next use a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer and cream the butter and kosher salt for about a minute before adding the granulated and brown sugars.
After the sugars are nicely creamed together; add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
Now add half the flour, the cinnamon, baking powder and cornstarch. Mix on low until mostly combined, then add the remaining flour and mix on low until a few streaks of flour remain.
Once the flour is barely incorporated, fold in the cinnamon candies with a spatula until the mixture is fully combined. The dough is thick and a little sticky.
🤔 how to get sticky dough into a baking pan
You have a few options for spreading the dough into the prepared pan. First, a spatula can do the job. Or lightly damp fingers also do the trick. I find an off-set spatula is the easiest {and neatest way} for me to accomplish this task.
Drop the dough into the pan in 4-6 spoonfuls and spread with your desired method until the dough is in an even layer.
Then bake until the edges are slightly browned and pulling away from the pan and a tester comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
Once the cinnamon blondie cookie bars are cool, use the parchment to pull them out of the pan and cut them into bars. Dust them with a little confectioner's sugar, if desired.
👩🏻🍳 tips for working with cinnamon candies
- If using Red Hots ~ place the red hots in a zip top bag and crush them with a rolling pin or a meat mallet. Red Hots stay more dispersed in the cookies after baking.
- If using Hot Tamales ~ use a sharp knife to cut each candy into 5-6 pieces. Since the candies are chewy, the smaller the piece the better. If the candies are sticking to the knife, you can lightly grease the knife. Hot Tamales tend to sink during the baking process. You could toss them with about 2 tablespoons of the flour before incorporating them to help them from totally sinking.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these soft and chewy Cinnamon Blondies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Soft and Chewy Cinnamon Blondies
Cinnamon blondies are buttery, chewy, soft and studded with cinnamon candies. They have flavors of a cinnamon roll swirl while being quick and easy to make. The red hot candies add sweetness and a touch of spiciness that makes them irresistible!
I highly recommend using weight {metric} measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup dark brown sugar (100g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67g)
- 1 large egg plus one large yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup cinnamon candies, crushed or chopped* (60g) (Red Hots work best, but Hot Tamales are an acceptable substitute)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Next use a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer and cream the butter (½ cup/113g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) on medium for about a minute. Now add the granulated (⅓ cup/67g) and brown sugars (½ cup/100g) and beat on medium another 1-2 minutes.
- After the sugars are nicely creamed together; add the egg (1 large), egg yolk (from 1 large egg) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and beat until combined.
- Now add half the flour (½ cup/63g), the cinnamon (1 teaspoon), baking powder (½ teaspoon) and cornstarch (1 teaspoon). Mix on low until mostly combined, then add the remaining flour (½ cup/63g) and mix on low until a few streaks of flour remain.
- Once the flour is barely incorporated, fold in the cinnamon candies with a spatula until the mixture is fully combined. The dough is thick and a little sticky.
- Drop the batter (it’s thick) into the prepared baking pan in 4-6 scoops. Use the spatula, an off-set spatula or lightly wet fingers to evenly spread the dough into the pan.
- Bake for 22-27 minutes or until the edges have lightly browned and a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Then use the parchment to pull the bars out of the pan and cut into desired sizes. Dust with some confectioner’s sugar, if desired.
Notes
*If using Red Hots, place candies in a zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet. If using Hot Tamales, use a sharp knife and cut each tamale into 5-6 pieces. If they are too sticky, lightly grease the knife.
Cinnamon blondies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. They also freeze well for up to three months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 141Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 90mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Michelle | Sift & Simmer says
Mmmm I love cinnamon -- these cookie bars are so creative! Red Hots are bringing me back to elementary school and Valentine's Day! I can taste the spicy tingly cinnamon flavour in my head now!
Tasia says
Thanks Michelle! Red Hots take me back to elementary school too! I love how they work in this recipe!
Kathleen Pope says
I love Red Hots and love that you paired them in a blondie! YUM!!!
Tasia says
Thank you Kathleen! Red Hots are always a treat, aren't they?!
Christie says
Oh this is so interesting! I never knew you could add red hots to these cinnamon cookie bars! Such a great idea.
Tasia says
Thank you Christie! The Red Hots give such a great flavor to the bars!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
Your cookie bars look so perfectly scrumptious... and I love that you used real butter!!
Tasia says
Thank you Heidi! Real butter just makes everything taste better!😉
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys says
I'm a huge fan of the red hot candies, so these cinnamon bars look simply irresistible! Thanks so much for this great recipe!
Tasia says
Thank you Caleb! I hope you get a chance to try this recipe out, you will love it!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
These are soooo fun Tasia. I love those little red hot cinnamon hearts. These bars are perfect for Valentine's Day!!
Tasia says
Thank you Katherine! There is just something about those little red hot candies!