Strawberry Lemonade Bars
Soft and chewy bars with the perfect pop of fresh strawberries and tart lemon. These are the perfect summer treat chilled or at room temperature.
Ingredients
Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- 1 cup diced strawberries liquid squeezed
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Lemon Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons strawberry juice reserved from strawberries
- 1 teaspoon crushed, freeze dried strawberries optional
Instructions
Strawberry Lemonade Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8 by 8 pan with parchment paper.
- Dice the strawberries and add them to a liquid measuring cup or small bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the diced strawberries and mix together. Let strawberries sit for 10 minutes to release some of the juices.
- To a bowl, add the melted butter and granulated sugar. Mix. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Zest one large lemon directly into the mixture (about 1 Tablespoon), then add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix well until combined.
- To a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour the flour mixture on top of the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Take the diced strawberries and strain the juice out of them, reserving the sweetened strawberry juice for the glaze. Add the strained strawberries to the batter and mix gently. Spread the batter in the parchment-lined pan and bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (no streaks of cake). Let cool completely before topping with glaze.
Strawberry Lemonade Glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of the reserved strawberry juice. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more lemon or strawberry juice to the glaze. Zest about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon into the glaze for more lemon flavor. Mix until combined. For a more pronounced strawberry flavor: crush up freeze-dried strawberries into a powder and add a teaspoon of freeze-dried strawberry powder to the glaze.
- Spread the glaze over the cooled bars, using an offset spatula to spread as needed.
- After the bars are glazed, let glaze set. Enjoy room temperature or refrigerate and enjoy chilled.
Notes
Freeze Dried Strawberries: I love the fresh strawberry flavor that freeze dried strawberries bring to the glaze. Use a rolling pin to crush the freeze dried strawberries into a powder, and then add a teaspoon to the glaze. You can also substitute crushed, freeze-dried strawberries for the strawberries in the batter with good results.
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