Strawberry Crumble Bars

Late spring is easily one of my favorite times of the year.  The grass starts to get green, the birds are out chirping, and all sorts of fresh berries are finally coming into season.  And when fresh berries are in season, you best believe that I spend my time whipping as many berry dishes as I possibly can.  Of course, I make all of the classic desserts such as pies, tarts, and cobblers. But this year I wanted to expand my baking repertoire and make something I’ve never done before.  That’s why today’s recipe is strawberry crumble bars.

Not only have I never made strawberry crumble bars before but if I’m being completely honest I’ve never even heard of them.  I don’t know if I’ve just been running with the wrong crowd all my life, or if these truly are one of the best-kept secrets of the dessert world.  Either way, I feel like I’ve been missing out because these things are unbelievably delicious. The dessert itself is composed of a nice flaky pastry bottom, moist and sweet strawberry interior, all of which is topped with sweet and crunchy streusel topping.  Sounds good right? So if you are ready to give these a go then let’s get into today’s recipe.

Tips, Tricks, & Suggestions

• If you prefer other types of berries over strawberries then you can easily swap them out.  
• While I don’t recommend it, you can use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones.  Just make sure to defrost them completely and to remove any excess liquid that may have come off of them.
• These bars a great for a quick breakfast, but I also like to eat it for dessert with some vanilla ice cream on top.

Strawberry Crumble Bars Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

For the base:

1 Cup all-purpose flour

½ Cup of unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch sized cubes

¼ Cup of granulated sugar

¼ Teaspoon of salt

For the strawberry filling:

2 Cups of fresh strawberries, chopped into ¼-½ inch sized chunks

1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar

2 Teaspoons of cornstarch

For the streusel topping:

½ Cup of all-purpose flour

¼ Cup of brown sugar

¼ Cup of rolled oats

4 Tablespoons of softened butter

¼ Teaspoon of  cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.  Make the base: Get out a large bowl and add the 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup of sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of salt into it.  Use a spoon to mix these three ingredients together. Then add the cubes of butter, and use either a pastry blender or two knives to incorporate the butter into the mixture until it forms pea-sized pieces.

3. Bake the base:  Get out an 8×8 inch baking pan and line it with either some aluminum foil that overhangs the sides of the pan.  Then grease the aluminum with either a stick of butter or some pam. Then pour the base mixture into the pan and use your hands to firmly press it into the bottom of the pan.  Stick this in your oven and let it bake for 10 minutes.

4. Prepare the strawberry filling by adding the ingredients to a bowl, and mixing them together.

5. Prepare the streusel topping by adding the flour, sugar, and oats to a bowl.  Then add in the butter, and work it in with your hands until it forms coarse crumbs.

6. Finish the strawberry crumble bars: After the base has baked for 10 minutes, take it out of the oven.  Then carefully spoon the strawberry filling evenly over the base. Follow this up with the streusel topping.  Then add this back to your oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the strawberries are bubbling, and the streusel topping has become golden brown.

7. Let the strawberry crumble bars cool completely before you cut them up into bars.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Strawberry Crumble Bars Recipe

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• ½ Cup of unsalted butter cut into ¼ inch sized cubes
• ¼ Cup of granulated sugar
• ¼ Teaspoon of salt

For the strawberry filling:

• 2 Cups of fresh strawberries chopped into ¼-½ inch sized chunks
• 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 2 Teaspoons of cornstarch

For the streusel topping:

• ½ Cup of all-purpose flour
• ¼ Cup of brown sugar
• ¼ Cup of rolled oats
• 4 Tablespoons of softened butter
• ¼ Teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Make the base: Get out a large bowl and add the 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup of sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of salt into it. Use a spoon to mix these three ingredients together. Then add the cubes of butter, and use either a pastry blender or two knives to incorporate the butter into the mixture until it forms pea-sized pieces.
• Bake the base: Get out an 8×8 inch baking pan and line it with either some aluminum foil that overhangs the sides of the pan. Then grease the aluminum with either a stick of butter or some pam. Then pour the base mixture into the pan and use your hands to firmly press it into the bottom of the pan. Stick this in your oven and let it bake for 10 minutes.
• Prepare the strawberry filling by adding the ingredients to a bowl, and mixing them together.
• Prepare the streusel topping by adding the flour, sugar, and oats to a bowl. Then add in the butter, and work it in with your hands until it forms coarse crumbs.
• Finish the strawberry crumble bars: After the base has baked for 10 minutes, take it out of the oven. Then carefully spoon the strawberry filling evenly over the base. Follow this up with the streusel topping. Then add this back to your oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the strawberries are bubbling, and the streusel topping has become golden brown.
• Let the strawberry crumble bars cool completely before you cut them up into bars. Enjoy!

Inspiration from other blogs

From Just So Tasty

From Spoonful of Flavor