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.
I’m assuming the nutrition facts are for one bar? Also how many servings does this recipe make? Looking yummy! I can’t wait to bake it!
Right on the recipe card it shows 24 servings Katey and yes, the nutrition is per bar. Enjoy!
These look amazing Kevin! I love how soft and chewy that center looks.
Thanks! I love the strawberry lemon combo, I hope you enjoy them Thalia! 🙂
They are baking as I type!
These look lovely, I’ve just cooked my ‘raspberry/marmalade’ reduction! I”ll let know tomorrow! I love you, Kevin!
K.
Fantastic, definitely keep me posted!
They came out wonderfully. I used fresh raspberries and 2T orange marmalade for the substitute reduction. That alone was delicious. I won’t reduce the berries quite as much as I did because it was difficult to swirl into the lemon mixture. I also used slice almonds (it’s what I had) instead. I gave some to my 89 year old friend ( Rita could be Shirley’s twin!). I hope to be half the cook she is some day, she loved them. Thanks, Kevin!
Fantastic, so glad you enjoyed them Kathy. Hello to Michael, too! 🙂
I just saw this on FG and I was like “Those look incredible!” I never had a lemon bar with strawberries, I’m definitely bookmarking this for when strawberries will be in season!
#WolfpackEats
Nice! Thanks Mike.
Yum! Love this riff on the classic lemon bar…everything’s better with strawberries right?
Exactly!
I’ll take two please. YUMMY!
Love strawberries and lemon together! These bars look fantastic. A man who bakes and does it well? A rare breed.. you should teach men a thing or two! 🙂 Cheers and thanks for sharing, Kevin!
Thanks for the kind words there Cheyanne! Luckily baking got me into cooking and grilling – thanks mom! 🙂
Yes! I’ve been craving lemon lately like it’s my job. I think it’s just getting to that point in the winter when I’m ready for some fresh, bright flavors. I bet these bars are amazing…I love the flavor combination here!! Happy Monday!
Maybe with all the snow you guys are experiencing your body is telling you to fortify and stay healthy! Citrus will do the trick and these are a great way to get it. 🙂 I tell ya David, I had, and I say had, a post of sourdough for Wednesday. Gonna post a little later as I see you have a good one up today. Have a great Monday!
You’re making me hungry – these look so delicious! Lemon bars are one of my fave desserts, and I think the addition of strawberries would make them even better! Can’t wait to give these a try soon 🙂
Jess xo
http://www.eatingwithalice.com
Thanks Jess! Super easy and big on flavor.