Chai Blondie Bars with Spiced Powdered Sugar Glaze

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we’ll receive a commission if you purchase through our link, at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure here.

If your go-to coffee chop order is a chai latte, these chai blondies are about to be your new favorite bake! Warm, spiced, and just sweet enough, they capture that cozy café feeling in a soft, sliceable dessert bar.

A homemade chai spice blend is folded into rich vanilla blondie batter. And when the chai spice bakes in these warm vanilla blondies, the flavor not only comforts your taste buds, but it also becomes an aromatic experience that will draw you back for seconds.

There’s something about chai spices that instantly warms the soul — the blend of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves feels so grounding and indulgent all at once. The blend of flavorful spices will always keep you coming back for more.

Once cooled, the blondies are finished with a spiced powdered sugar glaze that adds just the right amount of sweetness with an extra layer of warmth. 

This easy dessert bar recipe is one that feels cozy, comforting, and just elevated enough to feel special and intentional. They’re perfect for serving at parties or whenever you’re craving something yummy to serve with coffee or tea.

Why You’ll Love These Glazed Chai Blondie Bars

• The blondies are super soft and chewy! Each bite is pillowy soft and chewy. There are no unevenly baked. gooey centers with these blondies.
• They’re great for sharing. They make a large batch, which makes them a great treat for serving a large group of friends or family. They can also make great gifts around the holidays.
• The definition of cozy and comforting. There is something so magical about chai spice – it’s warm, zesty, and a bit sweet. And as it warms and bakes in these bars, it becomes an irresistibly cozy treat.

How to Make Chai Spice Blondies, Step by Step

Step 1: Preheat oven and prep baking pan.

Start by preheating your oven to 350ºF and greasing and lining a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. That way, your oven is at the right temperature, and your baking dish is ready to bake the blondies.

Step 2. Make chai-spiced blondies.

Before you start mixing the blondie batter, make your chai spice blend.

Chai spice is a blend of sweet, warm spices – cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper. This chai spice blend will be mixed into the flour mixture.

Start by melting butter and white chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir this mixture frequently to make sure the chocolate chips melt evenly and don’t burn on the bottom of the pan. 

Next, pour the melted chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar first. The sugar will help to cool the hot chocolate mixture before you whisk in the eggs. Add in one egg and one egg yolk at a time, whisking until combined. Don’t forget to mix in the vanilla extract before mixing in the dry ingredients.

The dry ingredient mixture is made of flour, baking powder, salt, and chai spice. Stir this mixture in a separate bowl and fold it into the batter until combined. 

Step 3. Bake bars until golden brown on top.

Pour the spiced chai batter into a prepared pan and spread the batter out in an even layer, and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. The top should be a nice golden brown color.

Tip: See tips below for how to grease and line your baking pan.

Step 4. Make spiced powdered sugar glaze and ice blondies.

While the blondies are cooling, mix together the spiced powdered sugar glaze. We didn’t want you to miss out on the spices, so we added a blend of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom to the icing, so that you get some extra spice in every bite. 

Spread an even, thin layer of powdered sugar glaze over the blondies and let the icon set for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Step 5. Let blondies cool to set before slicing. Slice and enjoy!

Once the blondies are set, dust with some cinnamon to garnish the top, and slice the blondies into 16-20 blondie bars. 

Tips for Baking Perfect Blondies

• Egg yolks add chewiness! Our goal was to make a soft and chewy blondie that wasn’t dry. One way to do that is to make sure you have enough fat in your batter. Adding an egg yolk increases the fat content a bit, helping to make them deliciously chewy.
• Don’t over-mix your batter. Overmixing the batter can create a drier, tougher blondie. Mix until batter is smooth and just combined.
• Melt chocolate with butter over medium heat. White chocolate melts best with a bit of fat. So to avoid any plumbing and burning of the chocolate, we recommend melting butter and white chocolate chips in a pan together over medium heat.
• Let blondies cool before spreading icing over the top. After you take the blondies out of the oven, let them cool for about 20 minutes on a wire rack or wait for them to cool completely before you spread the icing over the top. That way, your icing doesn’t melt and become thin and runny. 
• Use a sharp knife to slice. To get clean slices, use a large, sharp knife to cut. That way, you can smoothly slice through the layers. 

How to store leftover blondies

These blondies are best served the day of baking. But if you have leftovers, you can store these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Shop the Tools

More Dessert Bar Recipes:

Print