Strawberry Shortcake Bars
This is a delicious recipe from Bake from Scratch magazine that I served this past Memorial Day weekend. After seeing cream cheese in the ingredients list, I had initially thought that the bars would taste more like strawberry cheesecake, but to my happy surprise, they really are strawberry shortcake in bar form – fruity, creamy, with crisp, buttery crumbles. So nice to have something a little lighter and fluffier as an early summer treat. The cream cheese helps keep the whipped filling sliceable and adds a little more interest than plain whipped cream would, without overwhelming the flavor profile.
The recipe has a few steps, but each one is simple. Bake the shortbread crust and crumbles. Whip the cream cheese and sugar together – I added in some lemon zest and vanilla at this step. Fold whipped cream and chopped fresh strawberries into the cream cheese mixture then spread across the cooled cookie dough. You'll then sprinkle the crumbles and crushed freeze-dried strawberries across the top and chill for a few hours. That's it! I love the combination of sweet, fresh strawberries, and sweet-tart freeze dried strawberries. A very clever touch. Let me know if you give it a try!
Strawberry Shortcake Bars Recipe:
Find it on Bake from Scratch web site:
https://www.bakefromscratch.com/strawberry-shortcake-crumble-bars/
Difficulty:
Easy if you have a mixer or electric beaters, but do allow some time, there are a few steps and there’s chilling time needed as well.
Yield:
12 bars, or more I suppose if you cut them smaller!