Strawberry Bars

Originally posted 4/16/17

Ingredients (Yield: 9-12 servings)

1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup of white sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 teaspoons of baking soda

1 egg

Pinch of salt

1 and 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of strawberry jam (I used a reduced-sugar variety)

1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch

Instructions

Step 0.5: Preheat your oven to 350F. Spray an square baking pan with cooking spray.

Step 1: Cream your butter and sugar together, and then mix in your egg, baking soda, salt, and vanilla and mix until well-incorporated.

Step 2: Mix in your flour. If it’s really humid outside when I make these, I may add 2-3 additional tablespoons of flour. You want your dough to be moist, but not super sticky; it should stick to itself and not to your hands!

Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix together your strawberry jam and cornstarch.

Step 4: Divide your dough into 3rd. Take two-thirds of the dough and pat it into an even layer on the bottom of your baking pan.

Step 5: Spread your strawberry jam on top of the dough in an even layer.

Step 6: Using the last third of dough, break it into little pieces and sprinkle it evenly over the top. You could also arrange the little dough pieces into a pattern if you wanted, but I think it’s fun to let them fall randomly.

Step 7: Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned on top. I used a glass pan, but a metal pan might cook the bars faster.

Step 8: Cool slightly or all the way. This is really good served with whipped cream, and I can imagine it would be good with vanilla ice cream on top too.