The Incredible Hull: Brown Butter Strawberry Blondies

Woah... what is this?! A dessert recipe without chocolate? Umm... YES.

this recipe

Seeing as I'm a self-proclaimed chocoholic, you should know that any dessert recipe sans chocolate that makes it on the blog is gonna be good. I know there are fruity-dessert lovers out there who are going to hate me for saying this, but usually I feel like a dessert without chocolate just isn't worth the calories. Exception: these blondies.

When I got the idea for these I couldn't let it go because - hello! - brown butter in blondies? Yes, yes, yes. (Brown butter and brown sugar are two of my other favorite ingredients, needless to say). And then, because I'm a big fan of strawberry baked anything - bread, muffins, cake, cupcakes, crumb bars, you name it - another yes. It had to happen and it did. I made two batches in a single day - one for the fam and one for a potluck - and it was all devoured before I knew it.

What I think YOU will love about this recipe is that it's crazy easy, like 10 minutes of actual work MAX type of easy, and since you make the batter in the same saucepan as you use to brown the butter, it's perfect for all my fellow dishwashing-haters. If you want it to be even easier, get your hands on the new OXO strawberry huller  and (my new favorite funky kitchen tool) the OXO flat whisk. I will shamefully admit that I'm still not entirely sure what a flat whisk is for, but it functions like a normal whisk while being 100x easier to clean, so for that, I'm sold.

And these blondies? Definitley worth the effort - minimal or not. They're really good at room temperature, all light and a bit cakey (which I general consider a sin in a brownie but not so much in a blondie), but even better (I think) served cold. That way, they get dense and chewy and overall de-light-ful. Either way, when you combine those sweet, rich, and nutty flavors of brown butter and brown sugar with bright, juicy chunks of fresh strawberries that add just a litttttle bit of welcome tartness, you get a tempting summer dessert that doesn't need chocolate to be good. And... it's just in time for Memorial Day barbecues, because of course I didn't plan that but I'd like to pretend I did. :)

As part of The Incredible Hull campaign sponsored by OXO and Driscoll's Berries, there's an amazing giveaway currently open for $350 worth of prizes! One lucky winner will receive an OXO Strawberry Huller (a must-have tool for working with bunches of strawberries), an OXO 3 Piece Berry Bowl & Colander Set, a $70 Gift Card to OXO.com, and a year's supply of Driscoll's berries. #TheIncredible giveaway is open until Friday, May 30th, at 5PM EST. Good luck! :)

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Brown Butter Strawberry Blondies

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A summery twist on the classic blondie: soft and sweet, with a rich blend of brown butter and brown sugar contrasted by the bright and fruity taste of fresh strawberries.

• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 9 large or 16 small blondies 1x

Ingredients

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• 4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
• 7 ½ ounces (1 cup, packed) brown sugar
• 2 ⅛ ounces (½ cup, spoon and level) bread flour
• 2 ⅛ ounces (½ cup, spoon and level) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 5 ounces (1 cup) coarsely chopped strawberries
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 eggs, room temperature*
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9" square pan with foil and grease foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-low to medium heat. Cook until the butter melts, foams up, and turns golden-brown, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat immediately when butter has reached the desired color.
3. Whisk the brown sugar into the browned butter. Let cool for 10 minutes, whisking briefly halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the bread flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
5. In a separate bowl, toss the strawberries in the cornstarch to coat.
6. Whisk the cooled butter and brown sugar mixture until ingredients are well-combined. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until emulsified and lighter in color. Whisk in the vanilla.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in with a spatula until just a few streaks of flour remain visible. Add the cornstarch-coated strawberries and fold in just until dispersed.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 33-37 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the blondes comes out clean.
9. Allow blondies to cool in pan on a wire rack completely before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Notes

*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before using.

Disclosure: I received complimentary strawberries and tools from Driscoll's Berries and OXO, respectively, for this campaign. This post contains affiliate links. All writing and opinions are 100% mine, as always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make this blog possible!

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