We have survived our first week of distance learning second grade and preschool with mama at home. It’s taken some time to work out the kinks of the new routine after the anything goes method of the last couple months. And lets just say a lot of patience too. Hats off to all you parents out there doing this dance. I do apologize if you’re thinking this post should probably be of the happy hour variety, because hey, if there’s a reward going out, we should maybe get it. I’ll share a pat-on-the-back-cocktail soon. I think right now anything of the sort might put me right to sleep. But you know what will have me up and on my feet and smiling? Popping one of these Strawberry Lemonade Bars in my mouth. These zingy little babies are eye-opening, mouth-puckering (but in the best way) D-licious.
I made this as a special back-to-school treat specifically for Mr. T. He goes bonkers when he’s allowed to order lemonade out at a restaurant or some place similar. (Well, used to. I can’t remember the last time we dined out.) For him anyways, it’s a fun, sweet drink and a step up from the usual menu of milk or water. And on the rare occasion we’ve been somewhere where the lemonade was flavored with something colorful like strawberrries, well just icing on the cake.
So I thought, it would be fun to turn that memory into a bite-sized celebratory way to say “Im proud of you, I know this isn’t exactly what you envisioned either.” And I am proud in so many ways. And I think treats like this are always a special way to get that message across.
Kids are so resilient, aren’t they? So much has changed for them in one way or another, everywhere. In our case, besides school coming to a sudden halt and being told they not only had to stay home or not see any friends, they also weren’t allowed to leave the apartment at all. Then after several months of that, enduring 17 plus hours masked the entire way to move back across the world to LA was a feat for sure. They passed that life test with flying colors, to my surprise. So here we go, on another adventure, which undoubtedly will have it’s challlenges at times, while being rewarding at others, into the unknown of a whole year being schooled at home. So if there’s one thing I know, we’re going to be needing a lot of pat-on-the-back-treats. (And maybe cocktails too.)
We’ll start with this one first though. The California strawberries are still amazingly sweet and really shine against the lemon flavor in these bars. To make them, you simply start with a mix-with-your-hands (or fork) type crust. Half gets pressed into a square baking pan. Then a mixture of sliced, fresh strawberries, a sprinkling of sugar, a little lemon juice and cornstarch gets slathered all over it. The other half of the crust gets crumbled all over the top and then popped in the oven to turn into gooey-berry-lemony perfection. Chill them up and cut into little strawberry lemonade kisses. Yum.
Whether you’re celebrating the three day weekend, finishing the first week or two of school or if you’re lucky like one of my nieces, the last weekend of summer break, these bars will do the trick. Give them a try and please let me know if you do and how it went, down in the comments below or tagged on Insta. Happy weekends loves!
Strawberry Lemonade Bars
Ingredients
For the berry filling:
- 2 1/2 cups (350g) sliced strawberries
- 2 1/2 tbsps (37g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
For the crust:
- 2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg slightly whisked
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup lemon curd (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Butter or spray with a non-stick baking spray an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan, then line with parchment paper so it comes up the sides slightly. (This will make it easier to remove the whole pan of bars for easier cutting.)
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In a medium bowl, gently combine all the ingredients for the strawberry filling and set aside.
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In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt and cold butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs. Then add the egg, vinegar, and vanilla and pulse a few more times until it just starts to come together. It should still be somewhat shaggy. If it's too dry add another teaspoon of vinegar.
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Dump half of the dough mixture into the pan, and press down so it forms an even crust on the bottom of the pan. (The bottom of a glass cup can help with this.)
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Then spread the 3/4 cup of lemon curd evenly over the crust and spoon the strawberry mixture on top of the curd.
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Evenly crumble the remaining half of the dough over the berries. (Leaving some of the dough in bigger chunks is not a bad thing.)
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Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill about 15-20 minutes. (The freezer can be used to speed the process up.) Then place in the center of the preheated oven and bake about 55 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown on top.
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When finished baking, transfer the pan to a rack to cool. Then place the cooled pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes if desired for neater looking cut bars. (If you do this, you should be able to gently loosen the edges of the crust from the pan using a butter knife or offset spatula, then pull out the parchment tabs to release the whole pan of bars and cut as you wish.)
Recipe Notes
*If making the lemon curd yourself, here’s a great recipe- https://atreatlife.com/2019/03/30/lemon-curd/
*I cut the strawberries into thin slices to be able to see the pretty shape better, but you can quarter them too.
*chilling the bars before and after baking helps to keep the dough from spreading too much on top and makes it easier to cut them afterwards.
