spiced gooey goodness … Cinnamon Toast Blondies

So I’m really into these made up food holidays this year. They crack me up. We’ve had National Tempura Day, Hot & Spicy Food Day, for some reason there’s a Strawberry Ice Cream Day (in January?), and maybe you celebrated Popcorn Day and Cheese Lovers Day over the weekend. The month is just chockablock full of reasons to eat. Not to be outdone, today is … get this … National Blondie Day. Yep, a WHOLE DAY dedicated to a non-chocolate brownie. Hilarious! While I do love a blondie, I have to think a lot of people are disappointed when they receive a chocolate-less brownie. Regardless, I’m going to forge ahead on this one with Cinnamon Toast Blondies.

I saw this recipe over on Leite’s Culinaria, which is a great site culling recipes from all kinds of cookbooks. I stumbled upon something called Cinnamon Toast Bars and wondered what they were. The original recipe was from Patricia Helding and the Fat Witch Bake Sale Book. Fat Witch is a great bakery in NY’s Chelsea Market and I know they make great brownies so bets were good that these would be as well. The batter sounded like a typical blondie – butter, flour, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar but with some cinnamon. So? Then I made them. Holy moley.

Have you ever had Gooey Butter Cake? Really sweet but strangely delicious cookie/cake squares that are crunchy on the edges and sticky and gooey in the center. This was very similar but a bit deeper flavored from the brown sugar with a great hit of cinnamon. These are good. Really good and they do sort of taste like cinnamon toast. I made them this weekend for a food swap and they went over well.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: GOOEY GOODNESS. There’s just something about a boatload of sugar and butter to make you happy. Isn’t the best part of chocolate chip cookie dough when you’ve got the butter, brown sugar and vanilla all mixed together? That’s what this is but cinnamon flavored and with great textures. And let’s just talk about those textures: the edges are crunchy and deeply satisfying while the pieces more to the center are meltingly soft, gooey even. I think you need a center and an edge piece to fully appreciate their greatness. Dive right in.

ten years ago: Khachpuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
nine years ago: Waffled Aloo Parantha
eight years ago: Molasses Bran Muffins
seven years ago: Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy
six years ago: Caramel Corn Rice Krispie Treats, Pineapple Upside Down Cake
five years ago: Baked Jelly Donuts
four years ago: Rumaki (chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon)
three years ago: Whole Wheat Fig Bars
two years ago: Date Nut Bread
last year: Nigerian Jollof Rice

CINNAMON TOAST BLONDIES – from this recipe
makes 16 bars

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick/4 oz), room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 9” square pan with a criss-cross of parchment paper, allowing the excess to hang over the edges of the pan. (Do not use a glass baking pan for this recipe.)
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium-high until well combined.
4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium until light and fluffy.
5. Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and sift directly into the bowl.
6. Mix on low just until combined and no trace of the dry ingredients remain.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. To avoid pulling up the parchment, drop the batter in spoonfuls all over the pan and spread evenly.
8. Bake for 28-35 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only crumbs, not batter, on it.
9. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour prior to even thinking about cutting into them. (Or even better – overnight. These bars are seriously gooey until they cool fully.)
10. Cut the blondies into squares just before serving. (The bars will keep longer uncut. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and store at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for 6-8 days.)