Strawberry Lemon Bars
Serves 9
20 mins prep
40 mins cook
60 mins total
These strawberry lemon bars have a creamy and tangy lemon filling, gooey strawberries, and a buttery shortbread crust and crumble. They're a textural joy to eat and taste so fresh and lemoney. You're going to want to make these in the Spring and Summer and also all throughout the year (they're irresistible I promise). Each component is easy to make and thus these lemon crumb bars come together very quickly.
Lemon Shortbread Crust and Crumble
Strawberry Sauce
Lemon Filling
Lemon Shortbread Crust and Crumble
Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8" or 9" square pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine sugar and grated lemon zest. Rub the mixture with your fingers until zesty and fragrant.
cup granulated sugar
lemon
Add butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix just until it starts to get creamy. Scrape down the bowl.
cup unsalted butter
tsp pure vanilla extract
tsp sea salt
Add the flour and mix just until it's incorporated. Reserve about one quarter of the mixture and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator. Transfer the rest into the prepared baking pan. Press it evenly along the bottom and make sure you push a thin border of dough up along the side walls to keep the filling in.
cup all purpose flour
Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, until the edges a golden. Remove the crust and let it cool while you make the filling.
Strawberry Sauce
Combine strawberries, cornstarch, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat until the strawberries start to release their juice then thickens to a gel texture. Remove them from heat and let cool while you make the lemon filling.
cup strawberries
tbsp cornstarch
tbsp granulated sugar
Lemon Filling
In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and whisk together until combined.
oz can sweetened condensed milk
large egg yolks
Add salt, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Whisk until fully combined.
tsp sea salt
cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
tbsp cornstarch
Pour the lemon filling into the baked crust. Arrange most of the strawberry sauce and pieces on top.
Remove the reserved shortbread from the fridge and break it up into small pieces. Sprinkle them on top. Arrange the remaining strawberry pieces on top.
Bake the strawberry lemon bars for 18-20 minutes. They're ready when the crumbs are barely golden and the filling is set around the edges but still a little jiggly in the center.
Let the bars cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Once the bars are completely chilled, remove them from the pan by lifting them up by the parchment paper handles. Use a sharp knife to cut the edges off. Then, cut the bars into 9 squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving and enjoy!