Strawberry Lemon Bars
Makes 24 bars in a 9 x 13 pan. This is a wonderful variation on traditional lemon bars. You can make this tangy dessert any time, using your own frozen strawberries if fresh aren’t available.
- Yield: 24 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- Shortbread Crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 –3 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¾ cup butter, softened
Filling: - 1 cup fresh lemon juice (4–6 lemons)
- 1/2 cup fresh (or frozen) strawberries, pureed in blender (about 3/4 c whole berries)
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Prepare the lemon zest and juice: Depending on the size of the lemons, you’ll need 4-6 lemons for 1 cup of juice. Before squeezing the juice, wash your lemons and scrape off the zest. You can use a vegetable peeler, knife or zester to peel off the outer, colored rind. Use only the colored part, as the white can be bitter. Mince the rind to make 2-3 teaspoons zest. The zest will be combined with the shortbread crust. Set the lemon juice aside to use for the filling.Combine dry ingredients with lemon zest.
- Stir in butter with a fork or pastry blender.
- Mix till crumbly. Press into lightly greased 9 x 13 pan to make an even layer.
- Bake 17 minutes till edges are golden brown. While crust is baking, make filling.
FILLING: - Combine lemon juice, strawberry puree, sugar and eggs. Whisk till smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to liquid mixture and whisk it all together.
- Pour filling over hot crust. Bake 23-26 minutes till the filling is set.
- When cool, sift powdered sugar over the bars. If using fresh strawberries, top with fresh berries, cut in half. Cool completely before slicing. For clean slices, cut with a damp knife.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Find it online: https://www.weaversorchard.com/strawberries-and-summer/