Try this Strawberry Crumb Bars recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 34.466343372162 g
- Cholesterol 1.08888888833659 mg
- Fat 0.443280167543881 g
- Fiber 0.564551795720249 g
- Protein 3.04244137367131 g
- Saturated Fat 0.181421642611283 g
- Serving Size 1 1 large bar (66g)
- Sodium 29.1082736297909 mg
- Sugar 33.9017915764417 g
- Trans Fat 0.0798125914605817 g
- Calories 155 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375 and line a 9-13 baking tin with parchment paper.
- In a food processor add 1 cup sugar, baking powder, flour and salt. Close lid and pulse slightly. Add cold butter, egg and vanilla. Close lid in food processor and pulse several times until dough comes together into course crumbs. Just until most of the dry flour bits disappear, but not so long that the dough really sticks to the blades. The dough should just look like coarse sand.
- In a small bowl toss sliced strawberries with ½ cup of sugar and corn starch.
- Dump a little more than half of the dough into the prepared pan and press it down with your figures to form a crust. Add a little more of the mixture if you need to fill holes and corners. Spoon strawberries evenly over the crust. Then, take the remaining dough and grab handfuls, pushing it them together very gently, so they kinda stick together but not really, and sprinkle over the berries. You want to be able to see berries through the topping.
- Place the bars in the preheated oven and bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. The crust will brown slightly on top and the strawberries to start to sizzle and bubble when done. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan before cutting into bars. Makes 12 large bars, or 36 two bit pieces for a crowd.
Replacing all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour absorbs significantly more moisture from the butter and berries, resulting in a dense, heavy crust rather than a sandy shortbread texture. Cold butter is non-negotiable here; cutting it into the dry ingredients while solid creates pockets of steam during baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, which forms the flaky, crumbly structure. Pulse the food processor only until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Over-processing develops the gluten in the flour, turning a tender base into a tough, chewy layer that resists the bite.
Corn starch acts as the primary thickening agent for the fruit layer, binding the high water content released by the sliced strawberries as they heat. Tossing the berries with sugar draws out surface moisture before baking, preventing a soggy bottom crust. Distribute the fruit evenly over the pressed base, then gently squeeze handfuls of the remaining dough so it drops in irregular clumps, leaving portions of the filling exposed to vent steam during the 40 to 45 minute bake time.
Protecting the structural integrity of the bars requires complete cooling in the pan before slicing. Cutting into hot pastry shatters the tender crumb and causes the fruit puree to bleed across the plate. Allowing the pan to sit undisturbed until room temperature lets the starches retrogradely set, yielding clean squares that hold their shape under a knife.
Storing these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours changes their physical character entirely. The moisture from the fruit redistributes evenly into the surrounding shortbread, softening the firm edges into a tender, cake-like consistency. Serve chilled straight from the cold storage window, or bring them back to room temperature depending on whether you prefer a firm crumb or a softer, fudgier bite.
