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Strawberry Lemon Blondies

Strawberry lemon blondies are chewy dessert bars made with fresh strawberry chunks and bright lemon zest. Bake until edges set and the center is just tender, then finish with a quick lemon glaze for a sweet-tart drizzle.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
rest 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 280
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 0.5 cup butter softened
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
  • 1 cup powdered sugar for lemon glaze
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice for lemon glaze
  • 0.5 tsp lemon zest for lemon glaze

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the blondies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 inch baking pan so the batter releases easily. Set the pan aside for quick filling.
  2. Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy; the mixture should look paler. Use medium speed to keep air in the batter.
  3. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and glossy. Scrape the sides so no streaks remain.
  4. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl until evenly distributed. Look for no visible baking soda or salt clumps.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains. Overmixing will make the bars tough, so keep the batter thick.
  6. Fold in the chopped fresh strawberries, distributing the red pieces throughout the batter. You should see strawberry chunks in every scoop.
  7. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared 8x8 inch baking pan so the corners reach the edges. Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
  8. Cool for 15 minutes so the blondies set before glazing. The top should look set, not glossy-wet.
Make glaze and finish
  1. Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and pourable. Adjust by a teaspoon at a time if it seems too thick or too thin.
  2. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cooled blondies, letting it fall in ribbons across the surface. Cut into squares once the glaze is lightly set.

Notes

For the chewy texture, mix the batter only until the flour disappears and then fold in strawberries gently. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze baked, unglazed bars up to 2 months (thaw and glaze after). For a less-sweet option, use 1:1 reduced-sugar powdered sugar in the lemon glaze while keeping the lemon zest and juice the same.