Strawberry Lemon Bars
A refreshing take on a classic lemon square. The perfect recipe for the ripe berries you just bought at the farmer’s market.

Lemon bars have been a favorite of mine since I was young. I like the idea of giving the classic lemon square a facelift by adding seasonally ripe fruit for a unique lemony flavor. Strawberries are one of my favorite and frankly the most frequently on sale fruit that I just want to incorporate into every dessert I make. I LOVE STRAWBERRIES! These are a process to produce, but nothing that won’t take an experienced baker less than an hour to make.

If this is your first lemon bar, then I’m happy your here first. Lemon bars are set by making a lemon curd or custard atop a buttery shortbread crust. The balance is a beautiful blend of melt in your mouth cookie with a sweet and sour topping that makes yours taste buds sing. The most crucial step is how you set your curd and I have a fool-proof method.

Lemon curd is one of my favorite things to make because of how mesmerizing the process is. You are cooking eggs, lemon juice, and sugar in direct heat so as the eggs start to cook and thicken while you stir you create a custard.
You will cook your custard low and slow while constantly stirring. The mixture will take around 6 – 8 minutes to heat thoroughly. Use a whisk in the early stages of cooking, then use a spatula every minute to scrape the corners and prevent any curd buildup on the sides. This will leave your curd with an eggy taste and will leave chunks in your curd. Don’t fret, the curd will thicken if this happens and just strain it through a mesh sieve in the end.

Once the lemon curd gets thicken is when we will incorporate our strawberry compote. Essentially cooking whatever fruit we’re incorporating with some sugar and cornstarch to create a thick fruit puree. The cornstarch is the secret ingredient. It will prevent the curd from being too runny and will help the fruit set into the lemon well. Now you’re ready to bake!

Chill these overnight for optimal results. These are a great snack to have in the morning with your tea or an evening treat for your family. They are so easy to make once you’ve done this once. I know you will be addicted to trying all types of fruit combinations after trying this one.

Strawberry Lemon Bars
Yield(s): Makes 16 bars
20m prep time
55m cook time
1h inactive
For crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups plus two tablespoons flour
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 2 whole eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (est 4 lemons)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 325° F and prepare a 9x9 tray with parchment paper.
- Start with the crust by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl until all the flour is incorporated.
- Press the crust into the pan using a spatula to evenly form it into every corner. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden. Once this is done, raise the heat of the oven to 350° F.
- Add your strawberries to a sauce pan with 1/3 cup of sugar over medium-low heat. Cook strawberries until they are soft, around 10 - 12 minutes, then stir in cornstarch and cook on low heat for 1 minutes.
- Remove the strawberries from the heat and blend using an immersion blender. Set aside
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and zest then add to a pot over medium-low heat. Use a rubber spatula to stir until the mixture starts to thicken, around 6 - 8 minutes.
- When custard is thickened, add strawberry puree and mix to combine. Remove from heat.
- *optional step* add ground freeze-dried strawberry powder for a more intense red color, depending on the color of your strawberries.
- Pour mixture over the pre-cooked crust and bake at 350° F for 15 minutes, until the custard is set.
- Let cool for one hour before cutting and dusting with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Liz Rotz











