Fresh Strawberry Crumb Bars
This time of year in Lancaster County, you can find fresh picked strawberries for sale around almost every bend in the road. The other day when I was going to work, I counted five stands within a quarter mile of each other. Four of those were literal next door neighbors, and I think they all had varying prices. At one lonely stand, sat a young Mennonite girl staring out at the cars that would pass, almost begging with her eyes to come buy her strawberries but alas, hers were the most expensive…guess her parents thought they could charge more if people took pity on her. 😉 In any case, nothing comes close to fresh strawberries off the farm.They’re just so sweet, juicy, and delicious–they put the everyday grocery store berries to shame.
So having passed all those stands in a few short days, my mind was on one thing: what can I make with these amazing strawberries?? A quick search on Pinterest where I found these bars, and my mind was made up: I needed strawberry crumb bars in my life. They’d make the perfect dessert and my boys were sure to love them. I like that there’s not a lot of sugar in these guys, thus making the berries the star. The buttery crust, sweet strawberry filling, and crunchy crumb topping are the ultimate trifecta in baking, in my opinion. Yum.
Only 1/4 cup of Golden Barrel raw sugar is in the crust and 1/3 cup of Golden Barrel brown sugar in the topping, so this is a treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth but doesn’t have a ton of sugar in it. There’s a bit of corn starch in with the strawberries to make them firm up a bit. It’s an easy recipe that’s sure to leave a sweet impression. 🙂
I made mine in an 8×8″ pan, but you could double the recipe for a 9×13 if you’re feeding a crowd. Be sure to line your pan with foil (I ran out so I used parchment) so it’s easy to lift out of the pan and cut into squares. Less messy that way too.
You can serve these bars as-is or whip up some fresh cream and dollop that on top. Because, strawberries and cream…right?? These bars make the perfect dessert but would also be an amazing breakfast bar.
Have a great weekend and be sure to whip up a batch of these strawberry crumb bars!
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup Golden Barrel Raw Sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups cored and chopped strawberries (measure 2 cups after chopped)
- 1 Tablespoon Golden Barrel Raw Sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon (or orange) zest
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup Golden Barrel light brown sugar, packed
- 2 Tablespoons Golden Barrel Raw Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line 8x8" pan with either aluminum foil or parchment paper, allowing for an overhang. Grease foil with butter, cooking spray, or coconut oil. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low, gently add flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until just combined; it will be crumbly. Press mix into the bottom of the greased pan. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- While crust is baking, make strawberry filling by mixing together chopped strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and zest. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter for topping. It will be crumbly. Set aside.
- After crust has baked for 15 minutes, remove from oven and turn oven up to 350 degrees. Pour strawberry filling over crust, smoothing evenly across. Sprinkle crumb topping over strawberry filling. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until topping is browned and strawberry filling is bubbly. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
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