Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Lemon bars are one of my favorite things to eat, as it’s hard to go wrong with a classic lemon bar. I had recently bought some freeze-dried strawberries to use in a different recipe, but I didn’t think that it would use all of them. This recipe, for Strawberry Lemonade Bars, called for a small quantity of freeze-fried strawberries, and I thought I would give it a try. Usually, you use the freeze-dried berries whole or pulverize it into a powder, so this was different that you slightly crush the berries.

This recipe isn’t difficult, but juicing the lemons takes some time. You bake the crust, and then make the filling and bake that. The recipe calls for ¾ cup lemon juice, which is either three or four lemons. You also add lemonade concentrate, for more lemon flavor. I do think that you could use less than ¾ of a cup of juice, as these bars are very tart.

When I made the crust, it was such a small amount that I wasn’t sure that it would cover the bottom of the pan. It did cover, barely, and came out of the oven golden brown. It is important that you make the filling just when the crust comes out of the oven, so that the bars come together properly. I do think that you need to watch the filling carefully, as I wished I had taken my bars out of the oven about two minutes before I did. They still look wonderful when dusted with powdered sugar and they are so good, but a little on the tart side!

Strawberry Lemonade Bars
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of one lemon

3 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries, roughly crushed
Powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium until light. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour, salt, and lemon zest. Mix until crumbly, and then press into the base of the prepared pan. Prick with a fork.

Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven but leave the oven on while you make the filling.

In a large mixer bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined. Add the lemon juice and lemonade concentrate and stir to combine. Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk on medium low to combine. Fold in the freeze-dried strawberries. Pour over the warm crust and smooth evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the filling is set.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once completely cooled, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar and cut into bars.

Recipe from Sweet Recipeas