Strawberry Lemon Blondies ~ these easy strawberry blondies are moist and dense, (think soft shortbread) with plenty of little jammy pockets thanks to a cup of diced fresh strawberries in the batter. The hint of lemon revs up the berry flavor and gives these strawberry bars a bright, tangy vibe.
You’ve probably been craving a little sweet strawberry treat lately, am I right? It’s built into our DNA, the minute spring hits the strawberry cravings start. Let me help you out with these fruity little strawberry bars, they’re ridiculously easy to throw together and completely irresistible…take it from me, I had my fork in one before I could finish my photo shoot. That’s always a sign of a good recipe :)
TIP: baking softens, sweetens, and brings out the best in pre-season berries, so before the really good strawberries start showing up at market, you can make fabulous strawberry desserts.
If you like your desserts soft and moist, I know these will appeal to you. There’s nothing dry or crumbly about them, they melt in the mouth like a great blondie should. Only instead of nuts and chocolate you’ve got juicy strawberries and tart lemon. Wow.
The plush batter is thick and easy to work with. Spread it out evenly in your pan so it bakes up nice and flat.
They’re pretty unassuming when they come out of the oven, but just wait. Let them cool down a bit, then drizzle on the tart glaze (I use a tablespoon of strained strawberry puree to create that pretty color naturally)…things are about to get interesting…
This is one dessert that is more than meets the eye. It’s all about that party in your mouth!
tvfgi recommends: a 9″ square ceramic baking dish
I recommend the 9″ size, and look for something with weight to it, like this Le Creuset example. The side handles help when you’re trying to get it in and out of a hot oven.
Reader Rave ~
“You have gained a few fans! Made this for our Sunday night family gathering and everyone kept going back for more. I cut them into smaller pieces so everyone felt less guilty splurging :) Thanks for the tip of not over baking, mine baked for 32 min. Might even make for Easter – Thank you for a very yummy recipe. Of course we ate it before I thought to take a picture.” ~ Jen
Strawberry Lemon Blondies ~ these easy strawberry blondies are moist and dense, (think soft shortbread) with plenty of little jammy pockets thanks to a cup of diced fresh strawberries in the batter. The hint of lemon revs up the berry flavor and gives these strawberry bars a bright, tangy vibe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (use the fluff/scoop/level method for measuring)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp strawberry puree (you'll need about 2 large strawberries, instructions below)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper with long edges. This will help you lift out the blondies for easy glazing and slicing later.
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg.
- When the egg is full incorporated, beat in the lemon juice. The lemon juice will probably not completely incorporate at this point, that's ok.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to the wet ingredients, mixing until no more dry flour is present.
- Gently fold in the diced strawberries. Spread the mixture into your pan and spread out as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, just until starting to turn golden around the edges and the center is set. A toothpick inserted in the center will be moist but not wet. Don't over-bake these, or they will dry out. Let cool on a rack.
- Trim the strawberries for the glaze and puree in a small food processor. Strain the puree through a small strainer to get 1 Tbsp of puree. Whisk together the sugar, puree, and lemon juice until no lumps remain. If your glaze is too thin, add a touch more sugar. If it's too thick, add more lemon juice.
- Spread the glaze over the cooled blondies. Let the glaze set before slicing.
Make these strawberry lemon blondies your own ~
- Try this with diced rhubarb, or a combination of strawberries and rhubarb. Or how about blueberries or raspberries.
- If you don’t want to bother with the strawberry puree for the icing, just use lemon juice.
Thanks for pinning!
66 Comments
Rhonda
April 19, 2019 at 5:29 pmI took a pan of these to work and they were a big hit! You made a bunch of hungry nurses very happy. Thank you!
Sue
April 19, 2019 at 5:47 pmHaha, I’m honored!
Sarah McElroy
April 19, 2019 at 9:07 amOh my goodness, these are phenomenal! I did have to use bottled lemon juice, but they are delish anyway. Thanks for sharing, this will be a regular.
Sue
April 19, 2019 at 9:24 amThanks Sarah ~ I’m always going on about using fresh squeezed lemon juice, but it’s good to know you can use the bottle in a pinch :)
Brenda
April 18, 2019 at 10:50 pmThinking of adding a little cream cheese to the frosting.. good or bad idea?
Sue
April 19, 2019 at 7:03 amHonestly I wouldn’t, Brenda. I don’t think it will add anything and I imagine it would be hard to get it smooth. I used a glaze, not a frosting, but if you wanted to you could make a cream cheese frosting and use that. I think it might be overpowering for the blondies, though.
Suzie
April 16, 2019 at 3:54 pmMade these today and they came out great. Not quite as pretty as yours, the frosting was a little thin. But super delicious; lemon-y and sweet. I love your recipes and make them often.
Sue
April 16, 2019 at 3:57 pmThanks Suzie ~ and remember you can always thicken a glaze with a little more powdered sugar to get it just the way you want.
Deb
April 16, 2019 at 10:49 amIf you use a different fruit, say rhubarb or strawberry and rhubarb would you still use the lemon?
Sue
April 16, 2019 at 10:53 amYes, I would still use it, so it would be a strawberry lemon blondie, or a blueberry lemon blondie. The only exception might be the rhubarb.
Darlene
April 15, 2019 at 2:07 pmI still plan on making these for Easter but I froze my fresh strawberries. Question… Can these be made with frozen strawberries? Or will they come out too soggy?
Sue
April 15, 2019 at 2:17 pmI personally wouldn’t recommend it Darlene, and it’s pretty easy to find fresh strawberries at most big markets these days, you only need a small-ish amount.
Darlene
April 13, 2019 at 7:40 pmI plan on making these for Easter. I will let you know how they turn out! They look and sound scrumptious!
Jordan
April 10, 2019 at 7:52 pmMade these over the weekend and they were a huge hit! We had friends visiting and I took a chance on them, and wow, I now have my signature dessert for spring and summer, thank you <3
Patricia Hunter
April 10, 2019 at 7:10 pmI’m not sure where I screwed this up but it didn’t turn out very well. I’m sorry but it was bland and tasted just ok.
Donna Baker
April 7, 2019 at 1:44 pmI WOULD LIKE THIS RECIPE, DON’T HAVE A PRINTER..NEED TO SAVE ON MY PAGE, IF YOU HAD IT TO SHARE i CAN SAVE IT….PLEASE PUT IT TO SHARE..
Sue
April 7, 2019 at 5:07 pmDonna if you click on the Print button to the right of the recipe, it will come up in text form, and you can copy and paste that where it’s convenient for you. Let me know if you still have trouble.
Erin
April 5, 2019 at 11:34 amCan something be sub in placed of the Lemon juice? More like a strawberry bar, no lemon.
Sue
April 5, 2019 at 12:11 pmYou might try milk in the blondie batter, and just use more strawberry puree in the icing.
Penny Ramirez
April 4, 2019 at 5:29 pmMaking these tonight for a baby shower – the pink is perfect since the baby girl has already arrived! Thanks again for another inspiring recipe!
Sue
April 4, 2019 at 5:35 pmPerfect!
Sue
April 4, 2019 at 7:44 pmSo now I should come up with a blueberry version for those boy babies ;)
Penny Ramirez
April 4, 2019 at 9:27 pmI was thinking about that too!
Ellie
April 4, 2019 at 4:31 amcan i make this as cupcakes ?
Sue
April 4, 2019 at 7:19 amI don’t think these would make good cupcakes Ellie, but I have to say, I’ve never tried to bake a blondie batter in a cupcake mold. I think it would be the wrong texture, and it wouldn’t bake properly. Sorry!
Shay
April 3, 2019 at 10:30 amCan you add a printable version of the recipe, Pintrest is flaky and this long instructions
Sue
April 3, 2019 at 11:21 amThere’s a Print button to the right of the recipe, Shay!
Cynthia
April 6, 2019 at 11:24 amWhat about turning this recipe ketogenic?
Actually only the flour part I can substitute the sugar wit baking splenda
Carol Stewart
April 2, 2019 at 7:55 amCan I make the glaze without lemon juice?
Sue
April 2, 2019 at 9:06 amYes, sure. You’ll need a little more strawberry juice or puree.
Amy
April 20, 2019 at 5:51 pmCan I grease pan with butter instead of using parchment paper. Also would you refrigerate or leave room temp after u bake them?
Teri C.
April 1, 2019 at 9:11 pmWhat is fluff?/scoop/level
Like sifting flour?
Sue
April 1, 2019 at 9:26 pmHey Teri ~ it’s a method of measuring flour to get an accurate amount. You first fluff up the flour in the bag or canister, and then scoop it up with your measuring cup. Then gently level it off. This just helps to get a reliable amount of flour.
Jen
April 1, 2019 at 2:28 pmYou have gained a few fans! Made this for our Sunday night family gathering and everyone kept going back for more. I cut them into smaller pieces so everyone felt less guilty splurging :) thanks for the tip of not over baking, mine baked for 32 min. Might even make for Easter- Thank you for a very yummy recipe. Of course we ate it before I thought to take a picture.
Sue
April 3, 2019 at 6:46 amWow, I’ll take those fans! Thanks for coming back to let me know Jen :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
April 1, 2019 at 5:18 amI am so excited to give these a try Sue! They look wickedly irresistible! So perfect for spring and summer parties!
Michele
March 31, 2019 at 6:11 pmI would like to make for a church meeting. Can the recipe be doubled and made in a 9×13 pan?
Sue
March 31, 2019 at 6:29 pmI think that should be fine.
Barbara
March 31, 2019 at 4:29 pmSince I’m a vanilla lover, I’m planning to add a teaspoon of vanilla to this recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
Sue
March 31, 2019 at 4:33 pmThat will definitely be yummy :)
Marlene
March 30, 2019 at 4:07 pmHow do you suggest storing these, Sue, and for how long? Counter or refrigerator, bringing chilled bars to room temp before serving? Thanks, these look perfect for spring and the next time I have to bring dessert to a meeting—like next Sunday! Could I make them on Friday, for example?
Sue
March 30, 2019 at 4:18 pmI stored mine on the counter, loosely covered with foil. I don’t recommend making these too early before you need them, they just won’t be as good. You can make them in the morning for Sunday night, but I wouldn’t make them a day or two before. That’s just my personal preference. If you do make them a day ahead keep them un-cut and loosely covered with foil after they’ve completely cooled.
Marlene
March 31, 2019 at 3:07 pmDarn, I’m away part of the weekend so will have to wait to try these; can only make them Sat. morning.
Kristi Timmermans
March 30, 2019 at 10:10 amI’m going to show this to my home economics class. Thank you so much! I smelled strawberries while I was reading this :)
Liz
March 29, 2019 at 5:06 pmI know your recipe calls for fresh strawberries but I have a freezer full of strawberries from last season’s sales ! So here goes ! Are frozen strawberries another option?
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 6:18 pmYou can try them, but your blondies might be a little moister than mine. Definitely don’t use more than a cup of diced berries, and ideally you shouldn’t defrost them completely before using. So you’ll have to do a little slicing and dicing on the cold berries to make it work.
Nancy Salmon
March 29, 2019 at 1:02 pmWhite chocolate with this delicious looking dish sounds YUM!! Can hardly wait to try it on my friends that come here every Sunday after church for brunch. Yeah!
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 1:43 pmIt’s a perfect Sunday brunch kind of treat :)
Judy
March 29, 2019 at 10:37 amReading this post I realized something: Your writing is just so good. The attractive and colorful photogrraphy and of course the always creative and tempting recipes are why I first started here, but the writing keeps me here just as much the the overall look and the goodness of the recipes.
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 12:27 pmThanks for making my day Judy :) The writing in blog posts is such a hotly contested issue, some believe it should be as brief as possible. I try to be brief, but still make it fun to read. I’d actually love to write longer form posts…but they say everything is going to be video soon, so, why bother??
Colleen
March 29, 2019 at 10:07 amOh Sue!! These look so scrumptious!! Perfect timing! I’ve been looking for something like this for Easter! Thanks girlie!
Donna
March 29, 2019 at 9:08 amDo you think they would freeze well; frost after thawing out?? I have a busy week, and it would be great to make the cake part in advance.
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 9:37 amI haven’t frozen them so I can’t say for sure. I kind of think they might get a bit soggy due to the berries, but not certain. What I would do is get everything measured and set out on the counter the night before so you can throw them together in a flash. It’s not a very complicated recipe, in fact the little bit of puree for the glaze is the fussiest part and you could do that in advance.
Carrie Lee
March 29, 2019 at 8:52 amIs there a gluten free option? These sounds delicious! I bet it would be great with almond and coconut flours?
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 9:38 amThe texture is so soft and tender that I think a good gf baking mix would work fine. Not sure about the almond/coconut combo, but it does sound good! If you try that let us know :)
Donna Cash
March 29, 2019 at 7:30 amSue, you have outdone yourself this time. These are the most beautiful things, and I’ll make some this weekend. Wow!
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 7:35 amI had the last one this morning with my coffee, I think you’ll love them Donna <3
2 sosters recipes
March 29, 2019 at 7:29 amThese blondes are so pretty!! Love strawberries and can’t wait to try this recipe Sue! Thanks for sharing!
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 7:35 amIt’s an easy way to jump into strawberry season, nothing fancy, but they hit the spot!
Kathryn Munro
March 29, 2019 at 7:26 amCould you use cake flour with these?
I can’t wait to try them. They look amazing.
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 7:36 amSure, I don’t see why not.
Tricia | Saving Room for Dessert
March 29, 2019 at 6:07 amOh my, I make lemon blondies but never thought to add strawberries! So pretty and springlike and no doubt delicious. Pinned!
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 7:12 amIt’s a lovely combo Tricia, the lemon really brightens up the flavor of the berries :)
angiesrecipes
March 29, 2019 at 2:31 amWhat pretty pinky colour! What makes a blondie a blondie? I used to think it involved white chocolate, but I guess that’s not the case. Love these pretty pinky spring desserts.
Sue
March 29, 2019 at 7:12 amI guess I go by my own rules in the kitchen Angie ;) I don’t know if blondies have to have white chocolate, but come to think about it, a little white chocolate wouldn’t be too bad in these!
Mechelle
April 3, 2019 at 2:50 amI thought it was the texture. A brownie but not brown lol