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. A hint of lemon gives these strawberry bars a bright, tangy vibe.
We’re baking strawberry lemon blondies on repeat right now!
If you could only have one strawberry dessert this season, these fruity little strawberry bars would have to be the one, 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 even 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 strawberry lemon blondies 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. Yum.
Blondies are an art form here at tvfgi, and there’s a special place in my heart for unique recipes like my Banana Blondies with their amazing caramel frosting, or my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondies. But sometimes you just need a little chocolate, am I right? In that case head straight for my Outrageous Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies or decadent Almond Butter Skillet Blondies.
The plush batter for these strawberry lemon blondies is thick but easy to work with. Take a minute to spread it out evenly in your pan so it bakes up nice and flat.
The pretty pink glaze is naturally colored
Blondies are 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 strawberry 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 the one above. 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 🙂  Thank you for a very yummy recipe.”  ~  Jen
Strawberry Lemon Blondies
Equipment
- 9x9 square baking pan
- parchment paper for easy removal optional
Ingredients
blondies
- 1 cup 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
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted, measure out your sugar before sifting.
- 1 Tbsp strawberry puree, you'll need about 2 large strawberries, instructions below.
- lemon juice, about 1 Tbsp, or just enough to thin the glaze to a spreadable consistency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper with long edges. This is optional but 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 fully 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. The dough is thick, so take your time. I like to use a large offset spatula for this job.
- 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.
Video
Notes
- When you measure out the flour, first fluff the flour, then scoop it with your cup, and then level it without compacting it. This method helps insure an accurate amount.
- If you don't want to bother with the strawberry puree for the icing, just use lemon juice. I don't recommend using strawberry jam because it would be too sweet combined with the sugar.
- Do a little test before glazing your blondies. Â Spoon a bit of glaze on the blondies and see how it does...if it soaks right in it is too thin you can add more sugar. If it's too thick you can thin it down with more puree or lemon juice.
- For a variation, try this with diced rhubarb, blueberries, or raspberries. You could also use a combination of strawberries and rhubarb. Â
Nutrition
Thanks for pinning!
More strawberry desserts ~
Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
Easy Strawberry Cake
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Can you add a printable version of the recipe, Pintrest is flaky and this long instructions
There’s a Print button to the right of the recipe, Shay!
What about turning this recipe ketogenic?
Actually only the flour part I can substitute the sugar wit baking splenda
Almond flour would be worth a try ~ if you experiment, let us know how it goes, Cynthia.
Can I make the glaze without lemon juice?
Yes, sure. You’ll need a little more strawberry juice or puree.
Can I grease pan with butter instead of using parchment paper. Also would you refrigerate or leave room temp after u bake them?
Yes, you can grease with butter, I just use the parchment so I can pull them out for easier/neater cutting. I would leave at room temp after baking.
What is fluff?/scoop/level
Like sifting flour?
Hey 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.
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.
Wow, I’ll take those fans! Thanks for coming back to let me know Jen 🙂
I am so excited to give these a try Sue! They look wickedly irresistible! So perfect for spring and summer parties!
I think wickedly irresistible is a perfect description 🙂
I would like to make for a church meeting. Can the recipe be doubled and made in a 9×13 pan?
I think that should be fine.
Michele, how did it turn out in a 9×13?
Since I’m a vanilla lover, I’m planning to add a teaspoon of vanilla to this recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
That will definitely be yummy 🙂
How 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?
I 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.
Darn, I’m away part of the weekend so will have to wait to try these; can only make them Sat. morning.
Sue – how about assembling the batter and refrigerating overnight, baking in the morning?
I haven’t tried that, but have had success with muffin batter refrigerated overnight. I’m wondering if the berries would release moisture overnight, though, and change the outcome. Not sure, sorry!
I’m going to show this to my home economics class. Thank you so much! I smelled strawberries while I was reading this 🙂
I 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?
You 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.