Strawberry Lemonade Bars

{printable recipe here}
Auburn called to see if she could test drive my food processor for an awesome new recipe she found. Lemon, strawberries, pastry crust? You bet! These are made with a quick crust pressed into a pan and then the strawberry lemon puree is poured over top. The whole thing took us onto 10 minutes or so, even with five million little children asking for drinks, balls, attention, treats, you know. Don't forget to take the extra 30 seconds to line the pan with foil before starting. After they cool, lift them right out and slice. They'll look better, make less waste, and less mess around the edges of the pan. Not that my husband MINDS cleaning up that mess!

We made these in a big baking dish but decided we'd like them better a little thicker, so I'm including my changes below. You could also make this without a food processor if you don't have one by pureeing the strawberries in a blender. Whichever method you use I would remove the seeds from the strawberry puree with a mesh sieve. The final product will have a much better texture that way.

Come back Monday for a giveaway!

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

{printable recipe here}

from AnneStrawberry

adapted from Baking Bites

for the crust-

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

for the filling-
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cup berries, pureed and seeds removed)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a small rectangular pan with foil (a 9 x 13 works for thinner bars, but I like my small rectangular Pyrex- it's bigger than a square dish but not too big).

In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter till fluffy. Gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Pour into prepared pan and lightly press into an even layer. Bake for about 17 minutes, until set at the edges.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In the bowl of a food processor, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry puree, sugar and eggs and process until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder and salt, then pulse until smooth.

Gently pour the filling over the hot crust when it has finished baking. Return pan to oven and bake for about 30 minutes. The filling should be a little set. It may have a sugary crust on top- just make sure it's semi solid. It will continue to harden in the fridge.

Cool completely in the fridge then slice with a damp knife, cleaning between cuts to get the best final product. Top with sliced strawberries if desired. Help bars to keep their shape by storing in the fridge.