The “Pink Lemonade” Strawberry Lemon Bars
These bars use a fresh strawberry puree to achieve their beautiful color—no artificial dyes needed.
| Category | Details |
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Bake Time | 45 minutes (Total) |
| Total Time | 1 hour 5 mins + Chilling |
| Yield | 16 squares |
🍴 Ingredients
- The Shortbread Crust:
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ¼ cup Powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- The Strawberry Lemon Filling:
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 3 Large eggs
- ½ cup Fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
- 1 tbsp Lemon zest
- 1/3 cup Strawberry puree (strained to remove seeds)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. The Crust Foundation
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Pulse the flour, cold butter, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor (or use a pastry cutter) until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Press firmly into the pan and bake for 18–20 minutes until lightly golden.
2. The Berry Puree
- While the crust bakes, blend about 1 cup of fresh strawberries and pass them through a fine-mesh sieve to get 1/3 cup of smooth puree. This removes the seeds for a velvety texture.
3. The Custard Mix
- In a bowl, whisk the sugar and flour. Add the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and strawberry puree. Whisk until completely combined and smooth.
4. The Second Bake
- Pour the pink filling over the warm crust.
- Reduce oven temperature to 160°C (325°F) and bake for 22–26 minutes. You want the center to be set (no longer sloshing) but still have a tiny bit of “jiggle” when shaken.
5. The Cold Set
- Let the bars cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Slicing them while warm will result in a mess; the cold temperature is what gives them that clean, fudge-like bite.
The “Snow” Finish: Wait until the very moment of serving to dust with powdered sugar. Because of the moisture in the strawberry puree, the sugar will dissolve into the bars if left to sit too long in the fridge.