These Strawberry Thyme Blondies are a dream combination oftextures and flavors! The browned-butter blondies are topped with astrawberry-thyme mascarpone mousse that is *almost* too pretty to eat!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Bars
Keyword blondies, brown butter, mascarpone, mousse, strawberry, thyme
Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, continue to cook butter, swirling occasionally, until browned bits format the bottom (~4-5 minutes). Butter will smell nutty. A good rule of thumb is that the butter stops bubbling and sputtering once it’s browned. Allow browned butter to cool slightly (enough that it won't scramble your egg when you add it later).
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8”x8” pan, line with parchment that overhangs the sides of the pan (see note), and set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, and slightly cooled browned butter. Stir to combine. Add egg and vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine. Add flour mixture and stir until just incorporated.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake 18-22 minutes, or until blondies pull away from the sides of the pan a bit and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
For Mousse:
Combine quartered strawberries, sugar, and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries release their juices, about 4-5 minutes. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature on the stove, which allows the thyme to steep in the strawberry juices.
Once the strawberry mixture has cooled, remove the thyme sprigs. Scrape the strawberries into a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer until all you have left is the juice. Chill the juice while you continue with the recipe.
In a mixer bowl, beat the mascarpone until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the beater and the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer running on low speed, *gradually* add the strawberry juice and mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
In another small bowl, beat the cream and powdered sugar until peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture in three batches, ensuring that you don’t deflate the mixture. The resulting mousse will be fluffy with a soft pink color.
For Assembly:
Spread the mousse over the top of the cooled blondies in an even layer. Allow to chill at least an hour to set. Blondies can be removed from the pan using the parchment for easier cutting and serving. Garnish with strawberries and thyme sprigs, if desired.Enjoy!
Notes
Note on vanilla bean paste: One of my favorite ingredients ever, you can’t beat vanilla bean paste when it comes to flavor! If you’re looking to get some for yourself, you can find some here. If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.Note on parchment: I like to line the pan with parchment that overhangs the sides of the pan for this recipe, which allows you to lift the blondies from the pan when they’re done for easier slicing and serving. I prefer to use a nonstick parchment to ensure I can easily remove it after baking. If you’re looking for nonstick parchment, this is what I use here.