Strawberry Crumble Bars

Two words; Berry Season… Are we stoked, or are we stooooked?

I for one am all kinds of stoked! I spotted the first batch of fresh local strawberries at the farmers market this week, and I nearly fainted from pure excitement. I of course had to grab a pint and head home immediately to bake something with them… and that’s when these happened…

Strawberry Crumble Bars. All I’m saying is, these are a necessary addition to your life this week. Period. The end.

Okay… maybe a little more preface for these bad boys…

This is such a simple recipe. It only has two components – both of which need only one bowl, a spoon and your own two hands to come together. (WINNING)

Plus you can swap in your favourite berries as they come into season and werk this easy recipe all summer long! Do it up with blueberries, or blackberries, or raspberries, or why not try peaches, or apricots or cherries? Play around with all the different combinations because the summer fruit possibilities are endless with this recipe.

You got this! Make em’ happen

Happy Baking

KP xoxox

Things you need… 

Strawberry Filling
4 cups fresh Strawberries (or blueberries, raspberries, blackberries… etc)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Crumb Crust & Topping
2 1/2 cups Large Flake Rolled Oats
1 1/4 cups all purpose Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Butter, room temperature, cubed

Simple Vanilla Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp milk or water or lemon juice
a couple drops of vanilla extract

How to make…

Filling

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow the berries to cook down until tender and thickened – this should take about 10 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat, and pour into a heat proof bowl. Stir in Vanilla. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling and refrigerate until completely cool, about one hour.

Crumb Crust & Topping

Meanwhile, prepare your crumb crust and topping. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl mix together oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and you have pea sized bits of butter. Set aside in a cool place or in the refrigerator until your filling has cooled and you are ready to assemble your bars.

Once your filling has cooled, press about 2/3 of the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of your pan using your hands and being sure that you press into all four corners. Next, spread the cooled strawberry filling evenly over top of your crust. Finally, top the strawberry filling with the remaining crumb for your topping, evenly coating the strawberry filling.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crumb topping is a nice golden brown colour and the strawberry filling is bubbling around the outer edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan, before cutting into squares. Or You could serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream… DO IT!

Once cooled, use the parchment paper to life the strawberry bars from the pan and place on top of a cutting board. Cut your strawberry bars evenly to the size you want; I usually cut them into 9 or 16 equal squares.

Whisk all ingredients for the glaze together until smooth and creamy. Start with just 2 tbsp of liquid and if you find you need more, add a few drops at a time until you have reached your desired consistency.

Drizzle glaze over top of bars and allow to set for 10 minutes. Enjoy!