Part of our comprehensive guide
The Complete Guide to Sugar Alternatives: Everything You Need to Know →Strawberry Lemon Blondies with Jaca
Pretty in pink strawberry bars with a sweetly tart flavor and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture — fresh strawberries folded into a buttery lemon blondie batter and finished with a pink strawberry-lemon glaze. The conventional sugar in both the bars and the glaze is replaced with Jaca (allulose) at double the amount, so you still get that tender, sweet bite without the conventional sugar. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups Jaca (allulose) (replaces 3/4 cup sugar at 2x ratio)
- 1 whole large egg
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
- 2 cups powdered Jaca (allulose), sifted (for glaze — replaces 1 cup powdered sugar at 2x ratio)
- 1 tablespoon strawberry puree (for glaze — about 2 large strawberries, strained)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (for glaze — adjust for consistency)
Sweetener Used
1 1/2 cups Jaca (allulose) in batter, 2 cups powdered Jaca in glaze Allulose
Replaces: 3/4 cup sugar in batter, 1 cup powdered sugar in glaze
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal.
- 2
In a large bowl, cream the butter and Jaca together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg until fully incorporated.
- 3
Add the 1/4 cup lemon juice and mix until smooth — the batter may look slightly curdled, that's fine.
- 4
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined — do not overmix.
- 5
Gently fold in the diced strawberries with a spatula. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- 6
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is set. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out moist but not wet. Cool completely in the pan before glazing.
- 7
For the glaze: puree 2 large strawberries and strain through a fine sieve to get 1 tablespoon of smooth puree. Whisk together the powdered Jaca, strawberry puree, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth and pourable. Add a few drops more lemon juice if too thick.
- 8
Spread the pink glaze evenly over the cooled blondies and let it set for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing into 12 bars.
Pro Tips
- Use ripe, in-season strawberries — May is peak strawberry season and the flavor difference is enormous.
- Pat the diced strawberries dry on a paper towel before folding in. Excess moisture will leave wet pockets in the bars.
- Jaca browns faster than conventional sugar — start checking at 28 minutes and tent loosely with foil if the edges darken too quickly.
- For powdered Jaca, you can grind regular granular Jaca in a clean coffee grinder or high-speed blender until fine and powdery.
- The blondies must be fully cool before glazing — warm bars will melt the glaze into a puddle.
- Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. The glaze stays set when chilled.