Strawberry Lemon Blondies

Soft, moist and dense like a brownie, these Strawberry Lemon Blondies are absolutely to die for. They will satisfy your sweet tooth and would be the perfect easy dessert to take to your next family gathering.

this recipe!

This recipe is so easy to make homemade from scratch and the results are absolutely delicious!

Consider yourself warned! These are truly irresistible. Even now, as I write this post I sure wish there were some left. Ha! They disappeared in a hurry. We shared some and enjoyed some.

Some recipes like my Lemon Raspberry Loaf use puréed fruit in the icing. I kept this one simple and used finely chopped strawberries. You don’t need to go through the effort of pressing through a sieve. The results are a beautifully coloured icing that is sweet and tangy.

Are you a strawberry desserts lover? Yes! You will want to check out my recipe for Strawberry Shortcake and this easy no-bake strawberry dessert. If you’re looking for an easy breakfast muffin, try strawberry chocolate chip muffins.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• makes a nice big batch!
• it’s a simple recipe. No fancy ingredients or equipment. I used a stand mixer but you can also use an electric hand mixer.
• moist, delicious flavours that will have you coming back for more!

INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS

• butter – softened at room temperature. Take butter out of the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before you start the recipe. You will need butter for the blondies and a little for the frosting as well.
• brown sugar – I recommend light brown, golden sugar in this recipe, however you can certainly use the darker brown sugar as well.
• freshly squeezed lemon juice – fresh is a must in this recipe. The results will not be great with the bottled lemon juice. You will need it both for the brownies and the frosting.
• strawberries – fresh, not frozen strawberries for these blondies. Frozen strawberries would be too mushy and sink to the bottom.
• powdered sugar – for the frosting. Depending on the consistency you may need a little more than the recipe suggest depending on how juicy the chopped strawberries are for the frosting.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper, that’s okay, simply grease the baking dish.

The parchment paper makes it easy to lift the blondies out of the pan for frosting.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

I like to use the stand mixer for this recipe or you can use an electric mixer. Beat the brown sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time and mix well after each one is added. Add in vanilla.Next, add in the lemon juice and stir to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Give it a good stir, then gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed. Add in about one cup at a time.

Once the flour is mixed into the batter, drop down the bowl and remove the paddle. Gently fold in the diced strawberries by hand.

Sprinkle the strawberries on top of the batter and try to spread them out all over as you add them in, instead of putting them all in one spot.

Looking for more details about folding ingredient follow this great article about folding techniques for cakes.

Turn the batter into the parchment paper-lined 9×13-inch pan. Scoop the batter into each corner and them some in the middle to make for easy spreading. Use a spatula to spread it out smoothly. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You’re going to be icing it with that delicious frosting!

Bake in 325°F oven for 35-40 minutes. Test the centre with a cake tester.

Cool completely on wire rack before frosting. If you frost them too soon when it is warm, the frosting will drizzle off the blondies.

For the frosting: Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Finely chop two large strawberries. Beat butter and icing sugar together. (You can mix by hand or with mixer). Stir in the strawberries. Add in lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time. The results will vary based on how much liquid the strawberries add to the frosting. Gradually add in more lemon juice or powdered sugar until the frosting is a spreadable consistency.

Carefully lift the cooled blondies out of the baking dish by lifting the excess parchment paper. Use a spatula to frost the blondies. Top with a slice of strawberry for garnish if desired.

STORAGE & FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to three days for maximum freshness.

If you want to freeze these blondies, I recommend freezing them un-iced and make the frosting on the day that you serve them. They will keep well, frozen for up to one month.

MY EXPERT TIPS

• butter and eggs should be at room temperature.
• cool the blondies completely before frosting. If the blondies are too warm, the frosting will be too running and ‘melt’ off the top.
• use fresh strawberries only
• freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must!
• spray the bottom of your baking pan with cooking spray before setting in the parchment paper. It will stop it from slipping.

VARIATIONS

Try using different fruit such as raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. For these fruits, I would recommend pressing the chopped fruit for the frosting through a fine sieve for raspberries and blackberries.

For blueberries, I would suggest plain frosting without the blueberries chopped into the frosting. Add in 1-2 tbsp. of lemon zest to a plain white icing.

Add in 1 cup of chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips.

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