Strawberry Bars

Another recipe tucked deep in the files of Apple Crumbles, Strawberry Bars.

I can’t remember ever trying this recipe, but since Teddy scarfed all the black bean brownies from yesterday (not only because he liked them, but he thought it might be fun to create a “gas-ly” surprise for his house mates 🙂 ), I needed to get something in the house in case of a sweet tooth emergency.

It was strawberry season in New York back in June (amazing the summer has zipped along so quickly). Ted and I picked so many of the fresh, sweet berry that I still have a couple of bags in the freezer. The following recipe was a great way to use some of those frozen fruits. *The top may be somewhat soft. It is best to keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

1 cup butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp orange peel
1 tsp ginger powder
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups fresh strawberries
1 TBS honey
1/3 cup blanched, sliced almonds.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine the butter (you might want to melt it in the microwave for 50 seconds) and the powdered sugar. Add the flour and just mix until blended. Press into a 13 x 9 pan sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.

Beat the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon, orange, ginger for 1 minute. Add the flour and the baking powder and beat another couple of minutes.

In the food processor, puree the strawberries with the honey and almonds. Spread this mixture over the top of the slightly cooled crust. Top with the egg mixture. Bake for 50 -60 minutes until set in the middle. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar when ready to serve. Another great way to serve these would be to warm slightly and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Oh – I am drooling now!