Deliciously thick and chewy blondies with a fluffy sweet cream topping and freshly-sliced strawberries!
With the Fourth of July just a few days away, I’m sure most of you have an idea of how you’re going to celebrate this fun and explosive holiday. Whether you have plans of attending a family gathering, sitting on the sidelines of a patriotic parade, or setting off colorful fireworks, odds are there’s going to be a lot of good food involved.
Aside from ANYTHING barbecue, there’s really nothing more quintessential than having Strawberry Shortcake on Independence Day. When I think back on all the years I’ve celebrated this holiday with family, that has always been the dessert to end the day with. That classic combo of sweet, juicy strawberries with whipped cream and fluffy angel food cake was always so refreshing, especially during the warm summer months.
So for this week’s post, I decided to keep with tradition.
Well, sort of….
Folks, I give you the Strawberry Shortcake Blondie!
It’s definitely not your “traditional” Strawberry Shortcake, but I can pretty much guarantee it’s just as heavenly. With a deliciously dense and buttery blondie in place of the shortcake, this twist on the classic is much more decadent. While I was a little unsure of how well a blondie would blend with the textures of the cream topping and the fresh strawberries, my worries were quickly slashed when I took that first blissful bite.
The combination of the thick and chewy blondie with the fluffy cream topping and the sliced strawberries felt like pure ecstasy in my mouth. The buttery brown sugar blondie, the sweet strawberries, and the slightly tangy cream topping created such a perfect balance of flavors!
All deliciousness aside, these Strawberry Shortcake Blondies could not be any easier to throw together. In fact, they’re WAY easier than making traditional homemade Strawberry Shortcake, in my opinion.
For one thing, the blondies come together in one bowl. NO MIXER NEEDED. First the melted butter and brown sugar are combined, followed by the egg, a little vanilla, and finally the dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, and salt. Once they’re baked and cooled, the heavenly cream topping is whipped up.
Although the standard Strawberry Shortcake is made with just regular whipped cream, I decided to add a little tang to my cream by adding cream cheese. Not only does the cream cheese make the topping much more stable, but it adds a thickness to the cream that pairs much better with the heftiness of the blondie.
As for the strawberries, I kept things simple by just slicing them up and not adding any sugar. Originally, I had planned on adding a little sugar to them, but with the richness of the blondie, and the sweetness of the cream topping, these blondies didn’t need any more sugar. Also, the natural sweetness of the strawberries was the perfect way to round out all of the flavors.
If you plan on bringing this to a gathering, I do recommend waiting to top the blondies with the sliced strawberries until at least a couple of hours before serving. In fact, I think it’s best to do it just before serving so that the juices from the strawberries don’t have too much time to leak into the cream topping. This is just my personal preference, but they’ll be fine whether you top them a few hours before or a few minutes before.
You won’t find a dessert that’s more refreshingly sweet and decadent than these Strawberry Shortcake Blondies.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!
Strawberry Shortcake Blondies
Ingredients
Blondies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 cups sliced strawberries
Instructions
Make the Blondies:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Switch to a wooden spoon, add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until edges are firm and golden and the center jiggles slightly; do not overbake. Blondies firm up as they cool.
Make the Topping:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With mixer on low speed, slowly pour the heavy cream into the bowl. Once all heavy cream has been added, increase the speed to high, and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Spread topping evenly on top of the cooled blondies. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow topping to set up. Just before serving, sprinkle the sliced strawberries evenly over the blondies.