Sunday, May 5, 2019
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.
1 cup (2 sticks or 228 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar (164 grams)
1 large egg
1/4 cup (55 grams) fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cups (306 grams) all purpose flour (use the fluff/scoop/level method for measuring)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (127 grams) diced fresh strawberries
Glaze:
1 cup (112 grams, unsifted weight) powdered sugar, sifted
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
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.
NOTES:
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.
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.
You’ll Need:
Blondies:1 cup (2 sticks or 228 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar (164 grams)
1 large egg
1/4 cup (55 grams) fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/4 cups (306 grams) all purpose flour (use the fluff/scoop/level method for measuring)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (127 grams) diced fresh strawberries
Glaze:
1 cup (112 grams, unsifted weight) powdered sugar, sifted
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 350FLine 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.
NOTES:
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.
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.