Now that my son is in full day kindergarten, I’ve been able to spend more time creating and testing new recipes for the blog.
I still miss my little buddy when he's at school but I think we're both adjusting well. 😀
I just love testing out recipes and then surprising Donnie with a treat when he comes home from school. It's been a lot of fun!
Today on the blog I share with you one of my son’s new favorite treats/desserts – strawberry crumb bars! These tasty squares are absolutely irresistible and so simple to make!
Believe me when I say this strawberry bars recipe is simple to make – I mean it!
You'll be making these all the time! 😀
What are Strawberry Crumb Bars made of?
This easy strawberry crumb bars recipe is comprised of both a strawberry mixture acting as the filling and a crumb topping.
I start with 1 lb of fresh strawberries and remove the stems and chop the berries (1 lb should be equal to about 2 cups). I only made this with fresh berries and that's my recommendation but you can also use frozen strawberries especially if its not strawberry season.
The rest of the ingredients include cold butter (unsalted butter too, make sure it's cold), baking powder, all purpose flour, cornstarch, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, lemon juice and 1 egg (beaten).
How to make Strawberry Crumb Bars – Overview
Start out by chopping up some deliciously plump fresh strawberries and combine it with some sugar, a little bit of lemon juice and some cornstarch. Then in a separate bowl, combine the ingredients to make the crumbly dough mixture according to the recipe at the bottom of this post.
Pat down half of the dough mixture into the bottom of an 8”x8” parchment paper lined baking pan, then spread that lovely mix of chopped or sliced strawberries on top.
Next, drop the rest of the crumbly dough mixture on top of the fresh strawberry filling. Don’t worry if it’s not completely even – the goal here is to make the crumb topping … well… Crumbly! 😀
MMMmmmmmm….
Bake them in the oven until the top is golden, then take them out to cool.
Once it cools to room temperature, cover the pan and place it in the fridge to chill overnight or at the very least 6 hours. It's important to wait (I know it's hard!) so that the ingredients have time to set.
Once these beautiful babies have chilled, you can take them out of the fridge and cut them into squares.
Serve the strawberry crumb bars as an afternoon snack, dessert or do like I do and just gobble them whenever you please! :p
I was actually caught “taste testing” some of these beauties one morning before breakfast. haha
I have no regrets. LOL
They’re soooooooo good!
Can I make Strawberry Crumb Bars ahead of time?
Strawberry crumb bars can't be served immediately since after they are made. They need time to cool completely at room temperature before being served.
You can also make Strawberry Crumb Bars further ahead of time. Once you bake them and wait for them to cool you can store them in a refrigerator.
How to Store
Once you have made your fresh strawberry bars, cool them completely before transferring to an airtight container or cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes right before serving.
How long are Strawberry Crumb Bars good for? in the fridge, freezer, etc.
When stored in the refrigerator, they will remain fresh for up to five days. To freeze your crumb bars, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and place them in a sealed container or bag before placing in the freezer. They will remain fresh for up to three months when stored this way. For best results, thaw frozen crumb bars overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Strawberry Crumb Bars
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup of butter (make sure it's VERY cold – I chop it up and set it in the fridge until I need it)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 1/14 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsps sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1 lb strawberries, stems removed, chopped (This is equal to about 2 cups)
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 8″x8″ metal baking pan with butter or cooking spray. Line with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the chopped strawberries, 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. I like to use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients so everything is combined well.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, mix egg and vanilla.
- Pour the egg and vanilla mixture into the dry ingredients (flour etc mixture)
- Add the cold butter to the mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, combine the ingredients so that you have a crumbly mixture. The mixture should be crumbly with pea sized chunks of butter. Be careful not to over mix.
- Take 1/2 the crumbly dough mixture and press it evenly onto the bottom of the baking pan.
- Spoon the strawberry mixture evenly over the bottom layer.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumbly dough over top of the strawberry layer.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is a nice golden color.
- Place on a baking rack to cool for about 10 minutes.
- For best results chill overnight in the fridge before serving.
- Cut into 16 tasty little squares. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Flavor Mosiac.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
