Fresh Strawberry Bars

   

Like Lemon Bars? Then you’ve got to try these Strawberry Bars made with pureed fresh strawberries.

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I’ve never been much of a girlie-girl.

Growing up with two older brothers, it was play-rough or don’t play at all. There are family stories of backyard mud fights, bike races down construction-site dirt piles, and broken limbs.

I have an older sister who taught me how to apply makeup and bat my eyelashes, but she is quite a bit older, and moved away before my formative years.

So most of the time it was me and a brother… and his friends.

Scary, right?

Even so, something in me yearns for pink.

A pearly pink bag or phone case makes me giddy with delight. …Maybe I’m reverting as I age.

But most of all, I simply adore pink food.

If it’s pink, I want to eat it. I even disregard my normal label reading in order to indulge in pink edibles without care of consequence.

Pink makes me happy.

So today I offer you the quintessential pink food, fresh strawberries. (Yeah, I know they’re more red than pink. Just play along…)

Recently, I pulled out my favorite lemon bar recipe to make an afternoon treat for the kids. When I opened the fridge to collect the ingredients, I noticed I had two pints of fresh strawberries that were begging to be used.

This was a light bulb moment.

What if I used pureed fresh strawberries instead of lemon juice? Fresh Strawberry Bars?

Why yes, that did sound like a good idea!

So I placed a few handfuls of fresh strawberries into the blender. Then I substituted the liquefied fresh strawberries, in my lemon bar recipe (with a few other adjustments,) placed them in the oven, and crossed my fingers.

Low and behold, the PINK Strawberry Bars were a success!

Dinnerware from Villeroy & Boch.

Strawberry bars have quickly become a family favorite. They are so moist and creamy with a bright fresh flavor. Just the treat to serve on Valentines Day, the official holiday for pink food.

Plus, these strawberry bars are so easy to make, my 8 and 10 year old(s) can make them all by themselves.

I will certainly be serving strawberry bars for Valentines Day this year–we may have to make strawberry bars on Super Bowl Sunday as well.

Think the boys would mind a pink treat?

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Yield: 15 squares

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Strawberry Bars

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar + extra for garnish
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup flour

For the Strawberry Custard:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup pureed fresh strawberries (6-12 berries, depending on size) + extra for garnish
• 2 Tb. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2-3 drops red food coloring to enhance the color, if desired.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8X11 inch bar pan with parchment paper. Press the corners to smooth out crinkled edges.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the salt the flour. Mix until the dough just comes together. Dump the dough into the prepared pan. Press evenly across the bottom. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender. Add the egg yolks, condensed milk, lemon juice, food coloring, and salt to the liquified strawberries, and pulse to blend.
4. Pour the strawberry mixture over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is soft, but set. Cool to room temperature. Then cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
5. To serve: Lift the paper edges, taking the whole strawberry bar sheet out of the pan. Peel back the edges of the paper, then trim the rough edges of the strawberry bars. Cut into 15 squares. Dust with powdered sugar and top each square with a slice of fresh strawberry.

MORE PINK TREATS:

Pink Bubble Gum Ice Cream

Pistachio Cupcakes with Pink Champagne Frosting

Mini Strawberry Malt Cheesecakes

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Sally’s Baking Addiction

Dark Chocolate Bourbon Cherry Soda Floats ~ How Sweet It Is

Pink Velvet Roulade ~ Sprinkle Bakes