Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Yessss!!  I'm writing and in a timely manner.

These bars are amazing and delicious and still really simple to make. I used the same crust from my last lemon squares but I added a twist to my lemon filling and decided to go with Strawberry Lemonade Bars this time.  I had fresh strawberries sitting in my refrigerator just waiting to be consumed and this seemed like the perfect trial. It's summertime and who could possibly resist the combination of fresh strawberries and lemonade.
To compensate for the extra liquid, I used an extra egg and another tablespoon of flower. I also cut down on the sugar content a bit because last time I found the lemon squares a little too sweet for my tastes and also because ripe, fresh strawberries should add their own sweetness to the batter.

The most beautiful strawberry lemonade bars

Ingredients

use Aluminum foil for easy cleanup

crust:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick butter) room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour 
• pinch of salt

filling:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 -3/4 cup sugar
• 2 freshly squeezed lemons
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 tbs freshly zested lemon zest (I used zest that I had frozen from last time)
• 3-4 tbs all purpose flour

Line an oven proof pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup.  Preheat your oven to 350°F. 

If you have an electric mixer, I would use it to cream the butter and sugar.  I don't have an electric mixer, so again I had to do it by hand. It just takes a little more time and patience but it's totally doable. I used a fork to mash the butter and sugar and then kneaded the salt and flour into the mix.  When it's a cohesive mixture and not too sticky (add a little more flour if you need to) press it evenly into your pan, bringing it up slightly along the edges. Now I'm notoriously bad at measuring, especially while in Italy. The recipe calls for a stick of butter, but the form is different in Italy, so I added a little at a time until the butter was able to hold all of the sugar. I figure, the more butter the better!  

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn it, if you start to see only one area of the crust bubbling or coloring.
While the crust is baking whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of flour.  Whisk until well-blended with no clumps.

Just look at that gorgeous color

In a blender, pulse your ripe strawberries for a few minutes. If you don't have a blender, you can alternatively crush them with a fork. Add this to your lemon and egg mixture.  If it's looking too runny, add in an additional tablespoon of flour but do it slowly so the flour blends and doesn't form clumps.
Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the lemon filling is set and firm.  Keep a close eye on your lemon bars and rotate to make sure it colors evenly.
The bars are done when the liquid sets. I wasn't being particularly attentive this time around (I was washing dishes instead) and my oven has a hot spot, so a little bit of my crust burnt. But that's okay because it was still utterly delicious.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then cut into squares or triangles.  I used a round pan, so some of mine were oddly shaped, but that wasn't a problem.  I just ate those scrapes as testers.
Put in the fridge and then serve cold as a nice refreshing dessert!

The crust was still buttery and excellent and the strawberry lemonade filling was wonderful.  Use fresh berries and fresh lemons because the flavor payoff is fantastic.  The ripe strawberry really adds a kick of sweetness and reminds me of summertime adventures.  It also really complements the tartness of the lemon.