Strawberry Crumb Bars
Fresh strawberries are sandwiched between a buttery crust and streusel topping in these Strawberry Crumb Bars. A great alternative to strawberry pie in the form of a delicious dessert bar.
Crumb Bars
Everybody loves a great buttery streusel and in these crumb bars there is only ONE mixture for both the shortbread crust and crumble topping.
We love this recipe so much we’ve made blueberry, peach, apple and lemon crumb bars to name a few. All with the same buttery crumb recipe. It’s so versatile and way easier to make than pie crust, but just as delicious and sophisticated.
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Strawberry Crumb Bars
It was time to add “strawberry” to my list of flavors for crumb bars. Although I do have a strawberries and cream crumb bars recipe that uses canned pie filling.
This recipe for strawberry crumb bars uses fresh strawberries diced up for the filling — making it a great summer recipe.
Make the Crust and Crumb Topping
To make the crust and crumb topping, you will need:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into Tablespoon size pieces and add to flour mixture. Then use the paddle attachment to break up the butter into small flakes. (Can also use a food processor or pastry blender to do it by hand.)
Add an egg, and mix until combined. The texture will be mostly dry and powdery like sand, with a few clumps.
NOTE: The colder the butter, the more crumbly the texture will be. You can use slightly soft butter to make the crust and crumble on top more solid/chunky. But don’t use overly soft butter.
Divide Crumble in Half
Lightly grease or line a 13×9-inch pan with parchment paper leaving a couple inches of overhang for easy lifting.
Sprinkle half the crumb mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Then press the crust flat with hands/fingers. It will look dry, but will come together when it bakes.
Make the Strawberry Filling
For the strawberry filling you will need:
- Fresh Strawberries
- Granulated Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon Juice
Rinse, hull, and dice strawberries to equal 5 cups. About 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of strawberries.
Then add the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Then spoon and spread the strawberries (and all juices) evenly over the bottom crust.
Top and Bake
After adding the strawberry layer, sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the strawberries.
NOTE: Squeezing the mixture will make the topping have more of a chunky texture, while sprinkling it will be more smooth and fine. I like to have a mixture of both.
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown and the filling bubbles in the center.
Cutting and Serving
Allow strawberry crumb bars to cool completely before cutting.
If you used a parchment paper sling, run a knife along any edge not covered with parchment paper, then lift both sides of parchment paper and pull the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board.
Use a knife to cut bars into 5 rows x 4 rows for 20 strawberry pie squares.
Storing Strawberry Crumb Bars
Leftover strawberry crumb bars can be stored in an airtight container or in the baking pan covered tightly with plastic wrap or foil.
Store strawberry bars at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 5 days.
More Desserts with Fresh Strawberries
- Strawberry Delight
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Low Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Strawberry Cream Pie
- Lemon Curd Sweet Rolls with strawberries
- Favorite Strawberry Cake with jello
- Strawberry Lemon Bars
- Strawberry Crumble
- Lemon Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry Swirl Bread
- Strawberry Fluff Salad
Strawberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
Crust/Crumble:
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour, (stir spoon & level)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks) cold
- 1 large egg
Strawberry Filling:
- 5 cups (681-908 g) fresh strawberries, diced (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish or line with parchment paper leaving a couple inches of overhang for easy lifting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into Tablespoon size pieces and add to flour mixture. Then use the paddle attachment to break up the butter into small flakes. (Can also use a food processor or pastry blender to do it by hand.)
- Add an egg, and mix until combined. The texture will be mostly dry and powdery like sand, with a few clumps.
- Sprinkle half the crumb mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Then press the crust flat with hands/fingers. It may look dry, but will come together when it bakes.
- Rinse, hull, and dice strawberries to equal 5 cups. About 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of strawberries. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Then spoon and spread the strawberries (and all juices) evenly over the bottom crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the strawberries. NOTE: Squeezing the mixture will make the topping have more of a chunky texture, while sprinkling it will be more smooth and fine. I like to have a mixture of both.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown and the filling bubbles in the center.
- Allow strawberry crumb bars to cool completely before cutting. Use a knife to cut bars into 5 rows × 4 rows for 20 strawberry pie squares.
Notes
- The colder the butter, the more crumbly the texture will be. You can use slightly soft butter to make the crust and crumble on top more solid/chunky. But don’t use overly soft butter.
- Leftover strawberry crumb bars can be stored in an airtight container or in the baking pan covered tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Store strawberry bars at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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Very dry and crumbly. More than I expected.
If they were dry, it is highly likely that the flour was over-measured. It’s best to measure it by weight, but if you don’t have a kitchen scale, then you need to give it a good stir to fluff it up and incorporate a lot of air into it, then spoon it into the measuring up and level it off.
Could this be made with other fruit such as raspberries?
Could I use frozen fruit as I live in the tropics and fresh berries are rather expensive!
Yes! You can use homemade or store-bought pie filling. My raspberry topping recipe in the NOTES of this recipe would work great: https://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/raspberry-shortcake-sheet-cake/
I also have a similar recipe with raspberries here: https://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com/raspberry-crumble-bars/
And I share how to use frozen raspberries instead of fresh inside my post. Hope this helps!