Strawberry Crumb Bars
These Strawberry Crumb Bars are a delightful blend of sweet, juicy strawberries nestled between a buttery, crumbly crust. Perfect for any occasion, from casual family desserts to potlucks, this recipe is a comfort food classic with a fresh, fruity twist.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 65
- Yield: 10 servings
- Category: Dessert, Bar
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar (for crust)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very cold butter (8 Tablespoons or 1 stick), cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1/3 cup white sugar (for filling)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190°C). Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring the paper hangs over the sides.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup white sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the very cold, cubed butter into the flour mixture. Work quickly until the butter pieces are very small, resembling coarse crumbs. You can also pulse in a food processor.
4. In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork. Add the beaten egg and vanilla extract to the flour-butter mixture. Mix gently until the ingredients are just combined and form a crumbly dough.
5. Press half of the prepared crumb dough evenly into the bottom of the parchment-lined 8×8 inch pan.
6. In another bowl, stir together 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. Then, gently fold in the chopped fresh strawberries until they are evenly coated.
7. Spoon the strawberry mixture evenly over the pressed bottom crust.
8. Crumble the remaining dough mixture evenly over the strawberry filling layer.
9. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. (Note: My oven bakes in about 38 minutes.)
10. Allow the Strawberry Crumb Bars to cool completely in the pan before attempting to cut them into squares. I highly recommend refrigerating them for at least an hour before serving for the best texture and stability. Enjoy!
Notes
It is very important that your butter be very cold. Also, when working with the crumb crust, be careful not to over work it because you don’t want your hands to warm up the crust. You want the crust to be very cold.
The sweetness of the strawberries used matters. If your strawberries are not very sweet, you may need to increase the amount of sugar used in step 7 to about 1/2 a cup.
You can easily double the ingredients to make a 9×13 pan of the Strawberry Crumb Bars. Just change the number of servings above and it will adjust the amounts of the ingredients.
Find it online: https://pinchofwarmthbakes.com/strawberry-crumb-bars/