Summer is here!! As you already know, I very much associate lemon as the quintessential summer flavor. If you haven’t already, check out my lemon and raspberry cupcakes here. Anyways, these bars are so delicious and perfect for your summer BBQs or just for enjoying after dinner on these hot days. The addition of strawberry gives these bars a nice pink color, almost like pink lemonade and a slightly sweeter taste. Don’t worry- not too sweet! The lemon tartness balances the sweet strawberry perfectly and the shortbread crust is buttery and amazing. I highly recommend these. Even better, they don’t take that long to make!

Servings: 30

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups flour

For the filling

1 1/2 cups strawberries (you only use 7 tbsp of puree)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh)

2/3 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 13 x 9″ pan with parchment or wax paper. Spray with PAM or another nonstick spray.

Meanwhile, mix together sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Add in softened butter until it is evenly mixed through. Then add the flour until just combined and the mixture is crumbly. If you have a food processor, this would probably really easy to do in that. I had to use an electric mixer because all I have is a Magic Bullet that wasn’t large enough. Anyways, pour this dough into your lined pan and press down until the pan is covered and goes up about 1/2 inch on the side. Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges are very lightly golden brown. Cool the crust and leave the oven on.

Puree the strawberries in your blender, food processor or whatever you have. Pour the puree through a strainer to strain out the seeds. You only need 7 tbsp of strawberry puree and will likely end up with much more. You can save the leftover puree and add to yogurt the next AM, or you can mix with other items and freeze and make delicious ice lollies like I did! :-)

Get your freshly squeezed lemon juice ready! In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Whisk in 7tbsp of the strawberry puree. Add the flour and whisk. Pour filling into the cooling crust (don’t be alarmed by how liquid-y it is, it will firm up). Bake the bars for about 25 minutes until the filling has set (it should barely jiggle if you shake the pan). Cool the bars completely then cut into rectangles. Dust with powdered sugar and then enjoy! Keep any extras in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 134; Fat: 6 g; Cholesterol: 37 mg; Sodium: 14 mg; Carbs: 21 g; Sugars: 13 g; Protein: 2 g

Amanda’s Rating: 8.5/10

Nevin’s Rating: 8.5/10