Strawberry Lemon Blondies
Soft, buttery lemon blondies dotted with juicy strawberries and finished with a thin, pale pink strawberry-lemon glaze. Batch yield: 12 glazed bars from one 23 × 23 cm tin. One serving: 1 glazed bar, approximately 83 g after baking and moisture loss. Allow about 3 hours 50 minutes overall. Prep time is all non-oven elapsed time: 45 minutes to soften the butter, 30 minutes of hands-on preparation and finishing, 90 minutes to cool the baked slab, and 30 minutes for the glaze to set. The cooling_minutes figure includes the 90-minute cooling period plus 30-minute glaze-setting period. Preheating overlaps the final 15 minutes of butter softening and is not counted again. Cook time is one 35-minute oven batch. A cold kitchen or a still-warm slab may require longer softening or cooling. Appliances: Oven; Electric hand mixer. Equipment: 23 × 23 cm metal baking tin; Baking parchment; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring jug; Mixing bowls; Spatula; Whisk; Fine sieve; Fork; Skewer; Wire cooling rack; Knife; Chopping board. Allergens: Contains wheat gluten from the flour, milk from the butter and egg. Check packaged ingredient labels for any additional allergen or cross-contact warnings. Nutrition is estimated per one of 12 equally sized glazed bars. Storage: Once completely cool and glazed, keep airtight in a cool room for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days total. Separate stacked bars with baking parchment. For longer storage, freeze individually wrapped bars in an airtight container for up to 2 months; the glaze may become slightly tacky after thawing. Thaw covered in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated bars can stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating.
195 min
Prep
35 min
Cook
12
Serves
323
Calories
Macros · per serving
3g protein
42g carbs
16g fat
Ingredients
For 12 servings
- 225 g Unsalted butter
- 150 g Caster sugar
- 1 whole egg Large egg
- 60 ml Fresh lemon juice for the blondies
- 280 g Plain all-purpose flour
- 2 g Baking powder
- 3 g Fine salt
- 150 g Fresh strawberries, hulled, for the blondies
- 120 g Icing sugar
- 25 g Fresh strawberries, hulled, for the glaze
- 15 ml Fresh lemon juice for the glaze
Instructions
- 1
Cut the butter into roughly 2 cm cubes and leave at a cool room temperature for about 45 minutes, until easily indented but not oily or melted. During the final 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 180°C conventional / 350°F conventional / 160°C fan.
- 2
Line the base and sides of a 23 × 23 cm (9 × 9 inch) metal baking tin with baking parchment, leaving overhang on two opposite sides. Pat the 150 g strawberries thoroughly dry and cut into approximately 1 cm pieces.
- 3
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the softened butter and caster sugar for 2–3 minutes until creamy and slightly paler. Scrape down the bowl. Beat in the whole egg, then gradually beat in the 60 ml lemon juice on low speed. The mixture may look slightly curdled; it will come together when the flour is added.
- 4
In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold these dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a spatula just until no dry flour remains. Fold in the diced strawberries gently. The batter will be thick and spreadable rather than pourable. Do not taste it: raw flour and egg must be cooked.
- 5
Transfer all the batter to the prepared tin and spread it evenly into the corners. Bake on the middle shelf for about 35 minutes, checking from 32 minutes; it may need up to 38 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden and the centre set without a wet wobble. A skewer inserted into the centre, avoiding a strawberry piece, should emerge with a few moist crumbs but no raw batter.
- 6
Cool in the tin for 30 minutes. Carefully lift the slab out using the parchment, supporting its base, and place it on a wire rack. Leave for a further 60 minutes, or until completely cool before glazing.
- 7
For the glaze, mash the remaining 25 g strawberries with a fork and press through a fine sieve. Weigh out 15 g of the smooth purée; discard the seeds and remaining pulp. Sift the icing sugar into a clean bowl, then stir in the purée and the 15 ml lemon juice until smooth. Spread the glaze in a thin, even layer over the cooled blondie slab.
- 8
Leave the glaze to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until it no longer flows when the slab is moved. Cut into 12 equal bars in a 3-by-4 grid, wiping the knife between cuts. Allow about 10 minutes altogether for making and spreading the glaze and cutting the bars.
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