Strawberry Lemon Bars
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Strawberry Lemon Bars – Lemon and strawberry custard just floating on top of a buttery, nut cookie base! Sweet, sour, crunchy and buttery all in one nibble.
I realize in some parts of the country it’s snowing like crazy, but out here in San Diego, California it’s still sunny and the lemon tree in my yard is going on overdrive with fresh lemons. I have been making all sorts of new recipes and old, trying to keep up with them. So look for more lemony goodness coming your way, like these Strawberry Lemon Bars here.
Strawberry Lemon Bars
Mmm, look at that lemon and strawberry custard just floating on top of the buttery, nut cookie base! Sweet, sour, crunchy and buttery all in one quick nibble. This makes a decent sized batch, so to be safe I’ll make more friends with my neighbors and share.
Lemon bars are always a delicious dessert. Who doesn’t love the yummy, thick custard-like filling and for these I decided to make a quick strawberry jam reduction to swirl in the lemony goodness. For these easy-to-make lemon bar cookies, I also added some chopped almonds in the cookie base for a nice, crunchy touch.
If you don’t have any fresh strawberries or care to cook them down to make the fruit swirl, feel free to skip this step and use whatever pre-made jam you choose to keep things simple. I had a basket of fresh strawberries and to me fresh and homemade is always better!
Cookie Base
Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a food processor place the butter, 2 cups of flour, almonds and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and mix until this forms a ball, scraping sides as needed to incorporate all. Press this mixture into a 13”x9″ pan that has been sprayed with Pam or greased with butter.
Form a 1/2″ rim around the edges and bake for 15 minutes.
Fresh Strawberry Jam
Wash and cut strawberries. Place in a small saucepan and add sugar. Cook on low and mash with spoon as strawberries cook down and thicken, 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
How to make lemon custard filling
In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, baking powder, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Pour this mixture over the cooked dough and spread to cover completely, staying inside the rim of the cookie dough.
Using a spoon, drop cooked strawberries or jam on top of lemon mixture and swirl slightly.
Bake this for another 30 minutes until the filling is set, and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely and then sift the 1/3 cup of powdered sugar evenly over the top. Cut into bars and serve.
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Strawberry Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup skinless almonds chopped
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Strawberry Jam
- 1 cup fresh strawberries (or 1/2 cup jam)
- 1/4 cup sugar
Custard Filling
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Topping
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Cookie Base
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a food processor place the butter, 2 cups of flour, almonds and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and mix until this forms a ball, scraping sides as needed to incorporate all. Press this mixture into a 13”x9" pan that has been sprayed with Pam or greased with butter. Form a 1/2" rim around the edges and bake for 15 minutes.
Strawberry Jam
- Either use a strawberry jam already made and omit the 1/4 cup sugar OR make fresh using strawberries and 1/4 sugar. If making fresh: wash and trim tops off of strawberries. Place in a small saucepan and add the 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook on low and mash with spoon as strawberries cook down and thicken, 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Custard Filling
- In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs, 2 cups of sugar, the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, baking powder, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
Assembly
- Pour custard filling mixture over the baked cookie base and spread to cover completely, staying inside the rim of the cookie dough.
- Using a spoon, drop cooked strawberries or jam on top of lemon mixture and swirl slightly.
- Bake for another 30 minutes until the filling is set, and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely and then sift the 1/3 cup of powdered sugar evenly over the top. Cut into bars and serve.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Kevin. This recipe looks delicious. Can you please clarify when to use the 2 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup sugar among steps 2 and 3? I’m not sure which measurement goes with which step. Thank you!
Sorry for any confusion! I’ve updated the recipe card to reflect better clarification. I hope oyu enjoy these. 🙂