Description
These Strawberry Crumb Bars are a delightful dessert featuring a buttery crumb crust layered with fresh, sweetened strawberries. Perfectly balanced with a tender, crumbly topping, these bars combine the freshness of summer berries with a classic crumb base for a treat that is both comforting and easy to make. Ideal for summertime gatherings or an anytime sweet craving, they are baked to a golden perfection in an 8×8 pan.
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 and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, letting it hang over the sides to make it easier to lift out the bars after baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients for Crust: In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup white sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut in Butter: Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the very cold butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are very small and the dough is crumbly. Alternatively, pulse in a food processor until pea-sized crumbs form. Keeping the butter cold is crucial for the crumbly texture.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Add the beaten egg and vanilla extract to the flour mixture and gently combine until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Form Bottom Crust: Press half of the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the bottom crust.
- Prepare Strawberry Filling: In another bowl, mix together 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the chopped fresh strawberries until well coated.
- Assemble Layers: Spoon the strawberry mixture evenly over the crust in the pan. Then crumble the remaining dough over the top of the strawberries to form the crumb topping.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden brown. Note that oven times may vary; the recipe author’s oven baked in about 38 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. Refrigerate if desired before cutting into nine squares and serving.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is very cold to achieve the ideal crumb texture and avoid melting it while mixing.
- Do not overwork the dough to prevent warming the butter and losing the crumbly consistency.
- If your strawberries are not very sweet, consider increasing the sugar in the strawberry filling to up to 1/2 cup.
- The recipe can be doubled for a 9×13 inch pan—adjust servings accordingly to scale ingredients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (approx. 1/9th of the recipe)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
