This Fresh Strawberry Blondies recipe is the perfect way to combine fresh strawberries and chewy brown sugar blondies into one delicious dessert.
Every time strawberry season rolls around, I start dreaming up ways to use my favorite berry (although it’s not actually a berry). From my Strawberry Jam Pound Cake to my Strawberry Chess Bars, Strawberry Pie, Strawberry Cobbler, Strawberry Sheet Cake, and Strawberry Sauce, I just love incorporating strawberries into dessert.
For the past few years, I’ve tried to create a strawberry blondie that combined my favorite chewy, brown sugar flavored bar cookie with the sweet and tart flavor of strawberry. But the problem was that every attempt produced a soggy-bottomed blondie.
Sure. I could add some strawberry extract or strawberry jam to the plain blondies to add the flavor, but I really wanted fresh strawberries in the mix.
I knew that the problem lay in the moisture of the strawberries. When they’re cooked, they release that moisture, adding too much liquid to the batter, making for soggy blondie bottoms. And no one likes a soggy bottom. 😂
So, I knew that we’d need to get some of that moisture out before baking.
I considered the idea of roasting the strawberries. That would remove the extra liquid and intensify the flavor, but when I want some blondies, I don’t want to have to tear down the kitchen to make them. And having to roast strawberries just seemed like too much sugar for a dime to me.
After testing, and testing, and testing (I think we made 8 different variations) we landed on a method that removes that extra moisture without tons of additional steps… simply pressing the diced strawberries between a few layers of paper towels. Duh! 🤦♂️ It worked brilliantly and was the simple, easy method I was hoping to find.
So, after more batches of blondies than I care to admit making, we arrived right where we needed to be.
These caramel-y blondies are studded with strawberry flavor and none of the sogginess. And to guild the lily (dang, I’m using lots of idioms today!), we added a super simple glaze on the top. Once that glaze is dry, it gives the top of the blondies a crunchy texture and flavor that we felt really added to them.
One other thing we discovered during our testing is that the temperature of the butter really does effect your baked goods. Using soft, room temperature butter always yielded the best results. If it gets too warm/melted we found that often times the edges would bubble up and over on top of themselves – making for not-so-pretty blondies. So, I wrote the recipe to specifically call for room temp butter. It really does make a difference.
Fresh Strawberry Blondies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup diced strawberries
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature (not melted)
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powered sugar
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the strawberries between several layers of paper towels and press firmly to wick out some of the moisture. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add the strawberries and stir.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 28 to 33 minutes or until golden brown and set. Allow to cool completely.
- Make the glaze by stirring the powdered sugar, strawberry jam, and water together until smooth. Spread over the blondies. Allow the glaze to harden overnight, if desired. Slice and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5.
Louise says
My mom use to make a fruit cocktail cake, I’ve not been able to find that recipe like hers. What is yours?
Stacey says
We don’t have a recipe quite like that but will add it to our list!
Marilyn Lee says
This sounds sooo delish! Can’t wait to make them! Thought though would it be worth saving the Juice that comes from squishing strawberries. Maybe use a strainer and reincorporate the juice back into the glaze maybe!?!?
And thanks for All the Great recipes!
Stacey says
Thank you so much! Unfortunately I’m not sure of way to get the juice out of the strawberries and be able to save it.
Marilyn Lee says
All I can say is OMG!!!! These are so delicious! With ori without the glaze (and vanilla ice cream). Strawberry flavor shines through but not overpowering . Again thanks so much for all the good recipes. BTW my hubby asked if you can do it with blueberries?
Stacey says
So glad to hear they turned out great for you! Yes, I do think it would work with blueberries, though I’m not sure about pressing the excess juice out of those.
Elen says
Is it okay to use a mixer to stir the butter, sugar, eggs, etc. together? Weak wrists make stirring butter and sugar rather difficult.
Love all of your recipes; several are on our Mother’s Day cookout menu.
Stacey says
You can use a mixer for the butter and sugar and just mix until barely combined. But would not recommend a mixer when using the flour.