There are certain foods that just instantly make you think of summer – watermelon, peaches, strawberries, anything bbq’ed, corn on the cob, and the list goes on. After making these strawberry lemonade bars, I’m definitely adding them to the list. They are absolutely amazing. There’s something about the sour combo of the traditional lemon bar with the sweetness of the strawberry that just makes you want to never stop eating these treats.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients
Crust-
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour

Filling-
1 cup fresh lemon juice (I did a combo of squeezed lemons and lemon juice I bought at the store, but if you want all fresh lemons, you’ll need 6-8 lemons)
3 teaspoons lemon zest (from about 2-3 lemons)
3/4 cup strawberries, pureed
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 x 13 inch pan by spraying it with cooking spray, or coating it with butter.

2. To make the crust, cream the sugar and butter in a stand mixer. Add the flour and continue mixing until the dough is crumbly. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure to use your fingers to press it into place evenly. Bake for 17 minutes, or until the edges begin to lightly brown.

3. While the crust is in the oven, get out your food processor. Mix the lemon juice, zest, strawberry puree, sugar, and eggs and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder and again pulse until smooth.

4. Once the crust is done, pour the fruit mixture on top immediately. Bake for an additional 25-27 minutes, or until the filling has set (if you jiggle the pan it shouldn’t move too much). Don’t be alarmed if the top looks like it has a crusty layer, that’s normal. Once done, sprinkle the bars lightly with powdered sugar.

5. I’d recommend letting the bars cool for at least an hour. Once the pan is cool, place it in the fridge until the bars have become even colder. Then using a knife, carefully cut the bars into small squares. These guys are a little messy, so putting them in the fridge before cutting will help to get clean squares out of the pan. Also, if you’re not eating these right away, make sure to store them in the fridge.