Strawberry Crumble Bars

Packed with fresh strawberries and made with a buttery crumb crust, these strawberry crumble bars are perfect for school lunch boxes, decadent for after-the-meal dessert, and handy for unexpected guests. They are so easy to make and so delicious!

What to make with fresh strawberries when the strawberry season is in full swing?

There are plenty of ways to use seasonal strawberries: from enjoying French Crepes filled with red berries to elaborate Strawberry Cake - Fraisier.

I was reluctant to make strawberry recipes with baked berries until I recently made Strawberry Clafoutis and Strawberry Crumble.

It was a long way to the delicious discovery that baking with strawberries is another way to make the most of strawberry season.

And today's recipe is the best proof of it!

By the way, have you ever tried strawberry galette, similar to Puff Pastry Peach Galette? It will probably be one of my next baking projects.

Why you should try this recipe

1. Strawberry crumble bars are an easy summer dessert when the strawberry season arrives.
2. They are a great make even for a beginner baker: success is guaranteed.
3. These fresh strawberry bars are perfect as an afternoon snack and a delicious dessert taken to a summer party, picnic, or potluck.
4. It is one of the best strawberry baking recipes to enjoy: it uses just simple ingredients.
5. The buttery shortbread-like crumb crust is beautifully balanced with the sweetness of the fresh strawberry filling.
6. This fruity bars recipe is customizable: it works with almost any fresh fruit.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

Oatmeal: the recipe calls for 1-minute instant oatmeal.

Sugar: use golden brown sugar to make the crumble or replace it with granulated sugar.

Flour: use all-purpose flour to make this recipe.

Butter: use unsalted butter right from the refrigerator. It has to be cold to make the crumble.

Strawberry preserves: use fruit preserves or strawberry jam. If it is thick enough to spread, bring it to the microwave for 1 minute to soften.

Fresh strawberries: seasonal sweet fresh strawberries are the best to make these crumb bars.

Travel to your local strawberry farm for strawberry picking or purchase ripe berries in a grocery store or a farmers market.

You can replace them with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or stone fruit.

Corn starch: it is used to toss fresh red berries to thicken their juice while baking. Replace it with tapioca flour or arrowroot starch if desired.

How to make strawberry crumble bars

To make the crumble, heat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C.

Butter or spray with cooking spray 7 x 7-inch/18 x 18-cm square baking pan. Line it with parchment paper, hanging it over two sides.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, and mix. Add cold butter to the dry ingredients.

Mix with hands, a fork, or a pastry blender until the crumbly texture sticks under the pressure of fingers (photo 1).

Press two-thirds of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan (photo 2).

Spread strawberry preserves in an even layer over the buttery crust (photo 3).

To make sweet strawberry filling, in a small bowl, combine strawberries cut into four lengthwise, granulated white sugar and cornflour (photo 4).

Distribute berries into the fresh strawberry layer (photo 5). Using your hands, cover with the remaining dough (photo 6).

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown (photo 7). Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 20 minutes in the pan.

Lift the crumble out of the mold using parchment paper. Let cool completely. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares (photo 8).

Recipe variations

This recipe is a foolproof one that is perfect as it is. But you can play with the thickness of the crumble, different fruits, and add-ins.

Instead of dividing the crumble mixture into ⅓ and ⅔, make the bottom layer equal to the top crust layer.

Press half of the crumb mixture to the bottom of the pan. Then cover the strawberry layer with the remaining crumble.

To bring even more crunchiness to the bars, you can add ¼ cup of chopped nuts into the crumb mixture.

Finally, this basic recipe works perfectly with other fruits, too: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, stone fruit.

There is no need to add sugar or cornflour with the use of whole fruit. But add an additional teaspoon of cornstarch with stone fruit cut into slices.

How to serve

Serve strawberry bars for breakfast, as a simple afternoon snack, or dessert to finish your dinner.

They are perfect on their own or accompany a scoop of ice cream.

Storage

Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can freeze these bars for up to 3 months. Cover cooled bars in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze.

To thaw, bring them to the refrigerator overnight. Serve bars at room temperature.

Expert tips

1. To cut strawberries, use a strawberry slicer if desired.
2. Make sure to use very cold butter to get the correct consistency of the crumble.
3. Don’t overmix the crumbly topping. Once you get the sandy mixture, please, stop.
4. Be sure to line your baking dish with parchment paper hanging over at least two sides. This will facilitate the removal of strawberry bars after baking.
5. Let your bars cool completely before slicing, at least an hour.

Frequently asked question

Love strawberry desserts? Try these next!

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on April 26, 2021. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.