Strawberry Crumb Bars are a must-have, especially in the summer months. Sweet strawberries steal the show in these soft and chewy bars. They are perfection and amazing for outdoor barbecues, parties, and potlucks.
Ingredients
For the Crumble:
1cupwhite sugar
1teaspoonbaking powder
3cupsall-purpose flour
1cup2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
1egg, lightly beaten
1/4teaspoonsalt
Zest of one lemon
For the Strawberry Filling:
Juice of one lemon
4cupsdiced strawberries
1/2cupwhite sugar
4teaspoonscornstarch
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.
For the Crumble: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine 1 cup sugar, flour, and baking powder on low speed. Add salt and lemon zest and mix until combined. Add the butter, toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Add egg and mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. Place reserved half aside. Place the pan and the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
For the Strawberry Filling: In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely on wire rack then transfer to the refrigerator to chill before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.