As soon as I could sense summer coming around the corner, I started craving lemon bars. Unfortunately, as soon as I could see summer coming around the corner, I could also see finals coming around the corner.
Finals are the reason I have been pretty MIA the last few weeks (sorry about that!). However I have good news- finals are officially over for this girl, which means less money spent on coffee and more money spent on food ingredients! She’s baaaack!
Obviously after craving lemon bars for the last several weeks, lemon bars were the first thing I had to make in all my new found free time. This recipe was my grandmother’s lemon bar recipe, which means it’s a winner right off the bat. However, in the middle of the baking process I realized I had strawberries that were about to go bad, so I added them to the mix, and created a slightly adapted, yet still delicious version of my grandmother’s lemon bars. I think she would be proud.
Give them a try! Strawberries and lemon bars- nothing could possibly say summer more than those things. Enjoy your weekend, and be extra grateful for your grandmothers today.
Ingredients:
- ½ + 2 Tablespoons cup melted butter (melt the ½ cup and 2 Tablespoons separately)
- 1 cup + 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1 cup coconut
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- ½ cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries (OR a few heaping Tablespoons of strawberry jam)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ¾ – 1 cup confectioners sugar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and lightly butter an 11 x 7 inch baking pan.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, flour, and ½ cup melted butter. Mix well and press into the prepared pan. Bake for 5-10 minutes until lightly brown.
- In a large bowl, mix the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, baking powder, salt, nuts, coconut, and beaten eggs.
- Arrange the sliced strawberries (or jam) over the cooked crust, and then pour the egg/coconut over it all. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes at 350˚ F.
- Allow the bars to cool for a few minutes, and in the meantime, mix together the confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter. Pour this mixture over the squares like a thin glaze, and allow to harden.
- Cut and serve in squares once the glaze has harden, and try not to eat them all at once! J
Notes and Tip!:
- For those allergic to nuts- simply leave the pecans out! I left them out for my boyfriend who is allergic to nuts, and we did not end up missing them one bit.
- Like this recipe? Check out this delicious Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Bread, my Strawberry Oat Bars, Fresh Fruit Dessert Tart, and Vegan Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting
a rented kitchen 