Sometimes, simplicity is best. When it comes to these Churro Bars, the key to their irresistibility is the simple combination of cinnamon and sugar. The bars are soft and chewy with cinnamon sprinkled over the top and mixed into the batter. These are easy to make and require minimal dishes which makes clean up a quick task rather than a chore.
Back before the pandemic, when travel was possible, my friend and I took a trip to the UK. On our flight there, our dinners came with a packaged churro bar. It was soft and sweet and my friend turned around in her seat and pointed at the packaging. “You should make these.”
It’s been well over a year, but after taking time to work on some pastry with my year of pies and tarts, these Churro Bars were still on my mind. They start with a simple blondie base–brown butter and brown sugar whisked together with some eggs and vanilla, flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon stirred in to finish up the batter. Once spread into the baking pan, these are covered with a thick layer of cinnamon and sugar.
These taste just like a churro. The cinnamon stands out. The sugar makes them sweet but not sickeningly so. The blondie is perfectly chewy and soft. It’s hard to keep from grabbing just one of these.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20-23 minutes |
| Passive Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
bars
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- 339 grams unsalted butter should be about 280 grams brown butter
- 312 grams all purpose flour (about 2 cups scooped straight from the bag)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon divided into 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 340 grams light brown sugar (1 1/2 cups, packed)
- 2 eggs large
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 150 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
Ingredients
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- Brown the butter: Cut your butter evenly into cubes and line them on the bottom of a large saucepan. Over medium heat, melt the butter. The butter will bubble and splatter a bit, but as the water escapes, you'll see the bubbles get smaller and the butter will get foamy and start to darken in the middle. This should take about 5 minutes but depending on the butter it may take more or less time. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl for 15 seconds. It should start to smell a bit nutty and the color of the butter will be noticeably darker. Pour the butter into a small bowl or a glass dish. There will be brown grainy bits at the bottom, you want to scrape all of that out of the pot--that's where most of the flavor comes from. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool down. You should have about 280 grams of brown butter from the 339 you started with.
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan and line with parchment paper so that the paper sticks out from the sides of the pan (for easy lifting). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk tougher the slightly cooled brown butter and the light brown sugar. Whisk until fully combined and fluffy. One at a time, whisk in the eggs until combined; the mix should be lighter in color. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients until fully combined. You should have a thick mix.
- Transfer to the prepared pan, spreading evenly with the rubber spatula.
- In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and remaining 1 tsp of ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the blondie batter.
- Bake on the center rack for 20-23 minutes. The edges should start to firm up and the center will still be just a little bit wobbly if you give the pan a slight shake.
- Leave to cool completely in the pan. Using the parchment paper, lift the blondies from the pan. Slice into 24 squares.