Next Post
The 24 Most Popular Thanksgiving Drinks.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Soft and gooey, Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodle Blondies. Made with nutty browned butter, salted apple butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then mixed with chunks of cinnamon that melt into wonderful swirls. Just before baking, sprinkle the blondies with a little cinnamon sugar for that classic Snickerdoodle finish. And the true secret here? Sweet apple butter. It’s what keeps these blondies incredibly flavorful, soft, gooey, salty, and so delicious. Great to bake throughout the holiday season!
I’m probably about to annoy many of you, but I’ve entered into my happy, excited holiday cooking and baking zone. These are the recipes I LOVE the most all year long. I work so hard to share only the most special ones each and every season. So I’m jumping up and down with excitement to share these!
And these cookies! Or blondies!! I love them. A mix between a chewy, sweet Snickerdoodle and a thick blondie bar.
Perfect for Thanksgiving, or for packing up to fill this year’s holiday cookie boxes!
The details
Step 1: make the cinnamon swirl
This swirl is what makes these blondies so special. It’s just brown sugar mixed with butter and cinnamon. Exactly what you’d roll a cinnamon roll up with.
Now crumble the cinnamon into chunks and then freeze. It’s not fancy at all, but adds a sweetness that’s unique and special to this cookie.
Step 2: make the cookie dough
While the chunks freeze, make the cookies.
Start by browning the butter. This gives you the flavor of browned butter and leaves you with a cookie that has great texture too. Shocker, I know, I added browned butter, but it makes the cookies just that much better.
It’s worth the extra step.
Then add brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix together, and add the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: swirl and bake.
At this point, the cinnamon chunks should be frozen and ready to use. Mix them into the cookie dough and spread the dough out into a baking dish. In classic Snickerdoodle form, sprinkle the top of the dough with cinnamon sugar.
I do a light sprinkle. I didn’t want the bars to be overly sweet. Bake them up until they are barely set on the edges and gooey in the center. A little underdone is best!
Step 4: slice, eat, and enjoy!
Not a traditional blondie bar, but so much better! The result is a perfectly chewy, gingery, blondie with rich notes of cinnamon and vanilla.
We couldn’t love these easy snickerdoodles more. The cinnamon swirl really makes them special. Hope you guys love these just as much as I do!
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chewy Frosted Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodles
Easy Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies
Chewy Brown Butter Pretzel Pecan Cookies
Soft Gingerbread Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
Lastly, if you make these Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodle Blondies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodle Blondies
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 217 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
blondies
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup ) salted butter
- 1/4 cup apple butter or maple
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. To make the cinnamon swirl. In a bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Crumble/tear the cinnamon mix over the baking sheet, creating small chunks. Freeze for 10 minutes, until firm.3. To make the snickerdoodles. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour the brown butter into a mixing bowl. 4. To the butter, add the brown sugar, apple butter, egg, and vanilla, Beat until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips and 2/3 rds of the cinnamon chunks. 5. Spread the dough into the prepared dish. Press the remaining cinnamon chunks into the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the edges are just setting and the center is still doughy. Let cool6. Cut into bars, snack, and enjoy!
Doubled the recipe and the dough was extremely dry and crumbly. I had to improvise to get the dough to come together. I used 1 more egg since my eggs were tiny and some almond milk (should’ve used butter probably). I typically put less sugar as I find it’s too much for me.
Flavor was okay, hard to get the cinnamon/butter/sugar mixed thoroughly in the dough because of how thick it was so it’s mostly sitting on the top.
I think the browned butter could’ve been significantly cooler so that when you add it to the sugar it could get to a more whipped/light texture. I couldn’t reach that texture as it was too hot still I think.
I did use a coconut butter/manna as that’s all I had & I do like how this added to the flavor, I would be worried that the apple would be too much with all of the other flavors happening.
I was expecting a brownie batter type consistency, but this is really just like a cookie dough.
With some other changes, probably at least 1/2 cup more butter and 2/3 less flour I think they would come out better (for a double batch)
Will definitely try again as the recipe instructs to see how it comes out as a single batch and then go from there 🙂
Hi Gillian,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you didn’t love them. Let me know how the single batch comes out, I think that should work better for you! xx
I made these and they were such a hit! I have a gluten free friend. Can I substitute the AP flour with almond flour?
Hi Esther,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was enjoyed! I would try a gluten free flour blend. Happy Friday! xxT
This is my first time trying anything from this site. I bake a lot and while these looked and sounded great, I was underwhelmed. The flavor is pretty good, but they are quite thin and are not especially attractive. Perhaps a glaze would have improved the overall appearance. I will try another recipe because a friend of mine highly recommended this site.
Hi Kay,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! xx
Was a miss for me – they came out hard (I was thinking they’d be more doughy) and I was not a fan of the flavor when everything came together.
Hi Erin,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Hi! I made these last year for my cookie boxes and they were definitely a standout, everyone LOVED them! Do you know if they would freeze well pre or post baking?
Hey Fran,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Yes, you could totally freeze these after baking. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
Can I leave out the apple butter?
Hi Kim,
Sorry, I wouldn’t recommend that. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
I made it without the apple
Butter. It was great.
Hi! Is there a substitute for the apple butter?
Hi Lily,
You could try using a thick apple sauce. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi! The metric conversion for this recipe isn’t working. Any way to fix? Thank you so much for the great recipes!!!
Hi Nidhi,
Thanks so much for letting me know, we will get this fixed ASAP! xx
Thanks so much!!
Also love these! Took a minute for me to learn not to burn the butter but they are amazing!
Thanks so much!!
Do you recommend storing in the fridge or just in a tubberware?
Hi Leanne,
You can store in an airtight container on the counter:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi there! Excited to make these. What is your ratio for your cinnamon sugar?
Thanks so much, Krista!! I use a 1:4 ratio for cinnamon sugar. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Wow! I just made these for tomorrow..and I couldn’t wait so I snuck one. My goodness, those are insanely good! The chocolate with the cinnamon chunks is incredible! These are sweet with a tasty amount of saltiness, and I can’t wait to share them with everyone!
How should I store these tomorrow? Would it be best to refrigerate or cover and leave on the counter?
You can store on the counter:)
Hi Krita,
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend! xT
Can’t wait to try them. Do they freeze well?
Thanks so much, Ellie! Yes, you could definitely freeze these. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These are TO DIE FOR! Delicious yet so easy to make.
Hey Tracy,
Amazing! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, so glad it turned out well! Have a great November! Xx