I have to confess: I don’t think I had ever had a blondie before about a year ago, when my former neighbor made some. And I was totally missing out, y’all. Blondies are like brownies without chocolate — perfect for my former neighbor, who’s not big on chocolate, or for my friend Olga, who’s allergic to it.

And since I recently got my hair done and it is now decidedly strawberry blond… I thought I’d try some strawberry blondies for Valentine’s Day.

Then, because the recipe I was using called for melted butter, and because everyone on the Internet seems to be going crazy over brown butter recently, I figured I would go ahead and brown the butter. I also threw in some toasted coconut, for good measure.

You can switch it up by leaving the coconut out, using regular melted butter and/or adding a cup of chocolate chips or chopped nuts in the batter. Whatever you’re in the mood for.

 

And while you’ll need some strawberry jam, you don’t necessarily need to buy it at Marks & Spencer in London and smuggle it back to the United States (true story). Smucker’s is perfectly acceptable.

 

If you do happen to find yourself inside an M&S, though, (perhaps because you are lucky enough to live in the UK), I would also recommend picking up some crumpets and “Cornish Cruncher” cheese. That stuff is legit.

 

I didn’t actually measure the strawberry jam, by the way — just spooned some on and swirled it around.

 

If you want defined hearts, definitely wait until the blondies cool before cutting them. I cut them about 5 minutes after they came out of the oven. That was a bad plan. But eating them immediately? Not a bad plan at all.

 

Strawberry brown-butter blondies (Adapated from “How to Cook Everything,” makes about 16 small blondies)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted unsweetened coconut* (optional)
about 1/2 cup strawberry jam

Heat the oven to 350F and grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan (or line it with aluminum foil and grease the foil, for easier removal and clean up).

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. (You can go straight to the brown sugar at this point if you’d  like, or:) Allow to bubble and foam until the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn brown. Remove before it burns.

Use an electric mixer or whisk to combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat until the mixture is as smooth as possible, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth and well combined.

Add the salt and the flour, stirring just to combine the ingredients. Add the toasted coconut, if desired, and stir to combine.

Scoop the blondie batter into the prepared baking dish and roughly spread it to fill the dish. Place a few overflowing tablespoons of strawberry jam on top and use a spoon or butter knife to swirl the dough and jam together. Add a bit more jam on top, if desired, and smooth the whole thing with a spatula or the back of the spoon.

Bake the blondies for 20-25 minutes, until the center of the batter doesn’t jiggle when you gently shake the baking dish. Cool before cutting (unless you are impatient and don’t mind burning your fingers).

*To toast coconut, spread it on a clean baking sheet and place in a preheated 350F oven. Check and stir after 5 minutes, then stick the baking sheet back in the oven until the coconut starts to turn golden around the edges. Remove and cool.