Strawberry Blondies

Strawberry blondies are soft and chewy, and they have a lot of fresh, juicy strawberries in them. This easy recipe for blondie bars only needs one bowl and no mixer. It uses common kitchen items and takes about 30 minutes to make the best blondie bars.

As a busy mom and self-taught baker with more than 25 years of experience in the kitchen, I love a dessert that is quick and easy.

These blondie bars are classic, but we’re making them a little different by not using brown sugar. Like in my blueberry blondies, we’ll be adding juicy fruit to this new strawberry blondie recipe.

Making blondie bars is as easy as it gets: you only need one bowl, seven ingredients, and a little bit of time to get ready.

It only takes about 5 minutes to get ready and 25 minutes to bake.

Strawberry blondies are soft and chewy. They feel soft, chewy, and dense.

No planning ahead when the butter is melted!

You don’t need a mixer; a whisk and a spatula will do.

Ingredients

½ cup of fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces (80g)
113g of melted unsalted butter
200g of granulated sugar in 1 cup
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
One big egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (157g)

Ingredient Details

The best strawberries are the ones that are fresh. I haven’t tried it, but I think freeze-dried strawberries would work too. To see how to make the change, read the notes on the recipe card. I don’t think frozen strawberries are a good idea because they will make the drink too watery.

The ½ cup/80g of strawberries is what you get after you chop them up and take off the tops. I like strawberries that are fresh, washed, and dried. I haven’t tried it, but I think you could easily use freeze-dried strawberries instead. I would use a 1.2 ounce/34 g bag and cut the freeze-dried strawberries into small pieces. I don’t think you should use frozen strawberries because they will make the dish too wet.

Butter: You need unsalted melted butter for the blondies.

You need either white sugar or granulated sugar. This makes the strawberry blondies taste even more like strawberries.

Egg: You need one big egg that is at room temperature.

Kosher salt brings out all the flavors. Use half as much if you only have table salt.

I like pure vanilla extract better than vanilla.

The strawberry blondies get their shape from all-purpose flour. To make blondies without gluten, use a one-to-one flour substitute.

Put eggs in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 to 10 minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature.

Instructions

Set the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
Wash the fresh strawberries before you use them. Then cut off the tops and chop them into small pieces that are easy to eat. Put down two layers of paper towels and spread the chopped strawberries out on top of them in a single layer. Put another paper towel on top of the berries and press lightly to help get rid of any extra moisture. Put aside.
Whisk together the melted butter (½ cup/113g), granulated sugar (1 cup/200g), and kosher salt (¼ teaspoon) in a bowl that is medium to large.
Then add the vanilla (1 teaspoon) and the egg (1 large). Scrape the bowl up and down as needed, and whisk for about a minute until everything is mixed together.
Next, add the all-purpose flour (1 ¼ cup/157g) and stir until there are still some big streaks of flour. Then, add the strawberries (½ cup/80g) and gently mix them in.
Put the thick batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out so that it is even.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and a tester in the middle comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Then, use the parchment to lift the bars out of the pan and cut them into the sizes you want.

FAQs and Tips

Do blondies have to be gooey in the middle?

Yes and no. They should have a soft center that makes them chewy. If you test them with a toothpick, the middle shouldn’t be runny, but there should be some wet crumbs stuck to the toothpick.

💬 Why are my strawberry blondies soggy?

There is a lot of water in fresh strawberries. If you don’t pat the strawberries dry enough before adding them to the batter, they will make the blondie recipe too wet.

Why are the middle of my blondies still raw?

The temperature in the oven might not be right. I keep a thermometer in my oven so I can check that it’s at the right temperature. If the oven is too hot, the edges will bake too long before the middle has a chance to fully cook.

It could take twice as long to bake if you use a glass pan instead of a metal one because glass conducts heat differently than metal.

The strawberry blondies might not have been baked long enough. When you poke them with a toothpick, a few moist crumbs should come out. If the toothpick comes out with wet batter, your blondies need to bake for a little longer.

I suggest using a metal baking pan because glass can take twice as long to bake.

Is it okay to use brown sugar?

Yes, I would use equal parts granulated sugar and brown sugar. The recipe card below has a notes section with the measurements.

You can use a mix of white and brown sugar, but my testers liked all granulated sugar. Use ½ cup (100g) of white sugar and ½ cup (100g) of brown sugar (light or dark).

Tips for making the best chewy blondie bars

For the flour and fresh strawberries, a kitchen scale will be more accurate than measuring cups.
Fold the strawberries in carefully so they don’t get squished into the batter.
Don’t bake the fresh strawberry blondies for too long! Everyone hates a dry blondie. It’s better to do less than too much. The blondies will get firmer and keep cooking as they cool. This is how to make the texture soft and chewy.
Keep in mind that your oven is different from mine, so the baking time may be a little different. This oven thermometer helps me make sure that my oven is at the right temperature.
Put the pan in the fridge to cool all the way down if you need to speed up the cooling process. You can pick up the pan with your bare hands once the blondies have cooled enough.
Strawberry blondies taste best at room temperature, but my testers also liked them straight from the fridge or freezer.
The blondie bars should be completely cool before you cut them into neat bars. Putting them in the fridge will also help. Use a sharp knife and clean it after each cut.

Variations

Add the zest of one medium lemon to the blondie batter for strawberry lemon.
Strawberry jam blondies: Add spoonfuls of strawberry jam to the batter and mix it in. I would use 2 tablespoons and the method I used in my raspberry brownies recipe.
The strawberry blondies are pretty sweet on their own, so you don’t need lemon glaze. If you want to put a lemon glaze on top, I would use the one from my blackberry lemon scones.
White chocolate: Mix one cup of white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate with the chopped strawberries. We already know that my strawberry white chocolate cookies taste great with this flavor.
Pink blondies ~ I also tried a strawberry lemon glaze, which made the strawberry blondies a nice pink color. My testers said the glaze made it a little too sweet, but this is the recipe if you want to try it. To make a thick glaze, mix 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam with ½ to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Then add ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Storage and Serving Tips

You can keep strawberry blondies fresh for one day at room temperature in an airtight container, but they will stay fresh for up to five days in the refrigerator. You can serve it cold or at room temperature.

They also freeze well for up to three months in a container that doesn’t let air in. Before serving, let them thaw.