Description
Lemon strawberry crumb bars bring some blissful sunshine inside with a buttery crust and topping, fresh strawberries, and sweet lemon glaze.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk*
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups (650g) chopped strawberries*
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. (See photo above for a visual.) This takes at least 5 minutes of cutting in with a pastry cutter.
- Whisk the egg, egg yolk, brown sugar, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour/butter mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand. Use your hands if needed—the mixture comes together easier with your hands than with a spoon. See photo above for a visual.
- You will have about 6 cups of the crust/crumble mixture. Set 2 cups aside. Pour the remaining into the prepared pan and flatten down with your hands or a flat spatula to form an even crust. It will be a little crumbly– that’s ok. Set aside.
- For the filling: Mix the strawberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest together. Spoon evenly over crust. Crumble the remaining butter/flour mixture on top and gently press down so it’s snug on the strawberry layer.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the strawberry filling is bubbling on the sides. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. I stick mine in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle on top (or you can drizzle on individual squares). Lift the cooled bars out using the overhang on the sides. Cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover strawberry bars (with or without icing) at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Bars freeze well up to 3 months. Arrange in even layers in a large freezer container between sheets of parchment. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan| Pastry Cutter | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk
- Eggs: You need 1 whole egg + 1 extra egg yolk. Honestly, using 2 full eggs works too—with no other changes to the recipe. (It’s what I do for my strawberry rhubarb bars.) Use 2 full eggs if desired.
- Strawberries: This is about 1 and 1/2 – 2 lbs whole strawberries. Use frozen (do not thaw) if needed.
- No Lemon? Feel free to skip the lemon zest in the bars and swap the lemon glaze for vanilla icing. (Or leave off the icing/glaze completely.)
- Smaller Batch: If a 9×13-inch pan is too much, you can easily halve the recipe in a 9-inch square pan. And, if you do that, just use 1 egg instead of 1 egg + egg yolk. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 35-37 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling on the sides.