Strawberry Lemon Bars

With a buttery crust, a tart lemon filling and strawberry jam mixed throughout, these lemon bars are kicked up a notch.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Cooling Time 3

Total Time 3 50

Servings bars

Calories 235kcal

Preheat oven to 350°F.
For the crust, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the flour and mix until just combined.
Line a 9x13 glass or ceramic baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift out the finished bars. Press the dough firmly into the pan, building up a ½ inch edge on all sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
For the filling, sift together the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until completely combined.
Pour the filling over the warm crust. Using a spoon, drop strawberry jam through the filling. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until the filling is set and no longer jiggles. Allow to cool at room temperature for 2 hours and then place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Once chilled, lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.

Pre-bake Crust: The crust needs to be pre-baked before adding the lemon curt so it forms a texture and doesn't get soggy.
Use Glass Pan: Glass pans work best for lemon bars, but you can use ceramic in a pinch. However do not use metal pans as you'll get a slightly metallic taste in the bars.
Use Fresh Juice: While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn't that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemons and you'll notice a difference in flavor.
Allow Cooling Time: In order for these strawberry lemon bars to set, you need to allow them to cool at room temperature for 2 hours before placing in the fridge for another 2 hours.