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Strawberry crumble bars features a buttery shortbread crust, followed by a layer of homemade strawberry jam, shortbread crumbs, sliced almonds and then finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and cut into squares.

Strawberry Crumble Bars

Lisa Flinn
These irresistible Strawberry Crumble Bars are made with a buttery shortbread crust, a layer of homemade strawberry jam, and then topped with shortbread crumbs and sliced almonds. It's baked until just golden, and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar right before serving.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cook Time for Jam 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Yields 16 Pieces

Equipment

  • Digital Kitchen Scale
  • Saucepan
  • Microplane Grater
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Electric Mixer
  • 8 or 9 inch (20 or 23cm) Square Metal Baking Pan
  • Parchment Paper

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry Jam

  • 16 Ounces (454g) Fresh Strawberries (see note for frozen) roughly chopped
  • ¼ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) White Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
  • Fine Zest ½ Lemon
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Strawberry Crumble Bars

  • 1 Cup (227g) Unsalted Butter (2 sticks) cubed, room temp
  • 2 Cups + 1 Tablespoon (248g) All-Purpose Flour measured with kitchen scale
  • 1 Cup (113g) Powdered Sugar or ½ Cup (100g) Granulated White Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
  • 1 to 1 ⅓ Cup Strawberry Jam (recipe from above or store-bought, see note below)
  • ¼ Cup (20g) Sliced Almonds (optional)
  • Powdered Sugar (optional, for dusting)

Instructions
 

Strawberry Jam

  • Wash, hull and roughly chop your strawberries.
    16 Ounces (454g) Fresh Strawberries (see note for frozen)
  • To a small saucepan, add diced strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice. You can add more sugar if your strawberries aren't too sweet.
    ¼ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (75g) White Granulated Sugar
    1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
    Fine Zest ½ Lemon
    2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • Set over medium-low heat, and stirring occasionally, cook until the strawberries are thick and jammy. You may need to adjust your flame to low and stir more often as it thickens. It should take about 15 minutes or so. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely in the fridge. I like to make it the night before, but the jam can also be made a week in advanced.

Strawberry Crumble Bars

  • Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350f (180c). Grease and line a 9x9 inch (23cm) metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
    If you'd like thicker bars, you can use an 8x8 inch (20cm) pan.
  • In a large bowl, and using an electric mixer, beat together softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until well combined. About 2 minutes.
    1 Cup (227g) Unsalted Butter (2 sticks)
    1 Cup (113g) Powdered Sugar or ½ Cup (100g) Granulated White Sugar
    1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
    ½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • In 2 additions, sift in the flour, and mixing on the lowest speed, mix until just combined. Mixture will be crumbly, which is what we want.
    2 Cups + 1 Tablespoon (248g) All-Purpose Flour
  • Reserve about a scant cup of the shortbread crumbs (110g) and place in the fridge for later.
  • Evenly press the remaining dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake the crust in your preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes. You won't see much color, and that's okay.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Keep oven on at the same temperature.
  • When ready, remove the reserved crumbs and strawberry jam from the fridge. Gently mix the strawberry jam and evenly spread it over the slightly cooled shortbread crust with an offset spatula or silicone spatula.
    1 to 1 ⅓ Cup Strawberry Jam (recipe from above or store-bought, see note below)
  • Next, evenly sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the strawberry jam layer (it's not meant to cover completely). Then top with sliced almonds if using.
    ¼ Cup (20g) Sliced Almonds (optional)
  • Bake in your preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. It's ready when top is a light golden color. Mine took 35 minutes, but timing may be different in your oven.
  • Leave to cool in the pan for 1 hour, then lift the shortbread out of the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. An additional 2 to 3 hours. When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar if desired and cut into 16 equal pieces. Enjoy!

Notes

Homemade Strawberry Jam - The recipe above makes roughly 1 to 1 ⅓ cup of jam. The quantity can vary depending on how much the jam is cooked down. Also, I like to make the jam a few hours in advance or even the day before, so it has enough time to cool. If you're on a time crunch, it's okay if the jam is slightly warm.
Store-Bought Jam - Premade jam is often sweeter than homemade, so you can adjust the amount if needed.
Frozen Strawberries - If using frozen strawberries, you do not need to thaw them. Once the fruit softens as it cooks down, you can mash into smaller pieces. Your cook time will be longer as well.
Room Temperature Butter - Cube your butter and leave it on your counter for 30 to 60 minutes. The timing will depend on how warm/cold your kitchen is. If making during the cold winter and find it difficult to soften, you can microwave the butter at low power in short bursts. Make sure not to melt it.
Baking Pan - I've have only tested this recipe in a metal baking pan. If you're using ceramic or glass, you may need to add additional time.
Pan Size - I purposely made these strawberry crumble bars thin because they are quite rich and buttery. However, for thicker bars, you can use an 8-inch (20cm) square metal pan.
Keyword cookie bars, crumble bars, fruit crumb bars, fruit shortbread bars, shortbread bars, shortbread fruit bars, strawberry shortbread
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