Description
Delightfully sweet and tangy Strawberry Crumb Bars featuring a tender crumbly crust layered with fresh strawberries, baked to golden perfection. This easy-to-make dessert is perfect for summer gatherings, afternoon snacks, or a simple homemade treat that satisfies your sweet tooth with a fresh berry twist.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Crust and Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 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)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Filling
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to ensure it reaches the ideal baking temperature before you start preparing the bars.
- Prepare Pan: Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides for easy removal of the baked bars.
- Mix Dry Ingredients for Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until evenly combined.
- Cut in Butter: Using a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor, cut the very cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small pea-sized crumbs—this cold butter creates the crumbly texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a fork and add the vanilla extract; then stir this into the crumbly flour mixture until combined but still crumbly.
- Form Base Layer: Press half of the crumb mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan to create the crust base.
- Prepare Strawberry Filling: In another bowl, mix 1/3 cup white sugar with 2 teaspoons cornstarch, then gently fold in the chopped strawberries until evenly coated.
- Assemble Filling: Spoon the strawberry filling evenly over the pressed crust layer in the pan.
- Add Crumb Topping: Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the strawberry layer as the topping.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden brown. Note: oven times may vary; bars may bake in as little as 38 minutes depending on your oven.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. For best results, refrigerate until ready to cut into nine squares and serve chilled.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is very cold to achieve the perfect crumb texture; work quickly and avoid warming the dough with your hands.
- Sugar level in the filling can be adjusted based on the sweetness of your strawberries; less sweet strawberries may require up to 1/2 cup sugar.
- Ingredients can be doubled to fit a 9×13-inch pan, adjusting baking time accordingly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (1/9th of recipe)
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
