Marc's Recipes

  • Type
  • Ingredient
  • Course
  • Cuisine
  • Dietary
  • Sign Up
  • Log In
  • Contact
  • Signup
  • Log In
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Type
  • Ingredient
  • Course
  • Cuisine
  • Dietary
  • Sign Up
  • Log In
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Type
    • Ingredient
    • Course
    • Cuisine
    • Dietary
    • Sign Up
    • Log In
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • A plate of corn fritters.
      Cheesy Corn Fritters
    • Sea bream, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.
      Pan Fried Sea Bream
    • Juicy chicken chashu slices ready for a bowl of ramen.
      Chicken Breast Chashu
    • A mound of roasted fava beans with garlic and balsamic vinegar.
      Pan Roasted Fava Beans
    • A glossy mound of sautéed menma, the classic ramen topping, finished with a vibrant sprig of kinome.
      Menma (Ramen Bamboo Shoots)
    • Hamaguri no Sakamushi, a Japanese dish of sake-steamed clams, is plated here with opened shells and a light broth, finished with aromatic sansho leaves for a clean, herbal contrast.
      Sake Steamed Clams (Hamaguri No Sakamushi)
    • A hearty bowl of Mapo Zucchini glistens with spicy, umami-rich sauce, the tender squash and pork topped with a fragrant sprinkle of Sichuan pepper.
      Mapo Zucchini
    • Spicy kimchi and poached chicken in a salad.
      Poached Chicken & Kimchi Salad
    • Easy, spicy Curried Green Bean Salad.
      Curried Green Bean Salad
    • A side view of Carrot Kinpira, showing off its glossy strands and bold black sesame accents.
      Carrot Kinpira
    • Mentaiko Shiraae on a plate with shiso leaves.
      Mentaiko Shiraae
    • A stack of Chinese Pickled Cucumbers in a ceramic bowl.
      Chinese Pickled Cucumbers
    Home » Marc's Archive

    Strawberry Lemon Bars

    May 28, 2011 by Marc Matsumoto Leave a Comment

    Tangy lemon bars studded with strawberries.

    Aside from marking the end of the bitter cold winter and the sprouting of green stuff, there's another reason why I love spring. It's a transitional season where one season's produce is winding down, and the produce from the next season first comes to market.

    Meyer lemon season, for example, runs from November through April, while strawberry season starts in April and runs through the summer. I love Meyer lemons because they're one of the few bright flavors you can taste during winter. To stick your nose in a bag full of these golden yellow beauties and take a deep breath is like inhaling a lungful of pure happiness. Strawberries, on the other hand, start showing up just as the weather starts turning really hot, and the sweet red berries stream juicy bliss into your mouth with each bite.

    Tangy and refreshing Strawberry Lemon Bars

    After a neighbor's Meyer lemon tree was blown over by an overabundance of fruit and some heavy winds, we found ourselves the lucky recipients of a bag full of fruit. I also found two pints of glorious organic berries at the market, and it wasn't long before thoughts of strawberry Meyer lemonade started coursing through my mind. In the end, I decided to have a bit more fun with the flavors and made these Strawberry Lemon Bars.

    Slicing the lemon bars studded with fresh strawberries.

    One of the biggest gripes I have with lemon bars is that they are way too sweet. When you're using regular lemons, it's necessary to add a ton of sugar to offset their acidity. The beauty of using Meyer lemons and strawberries is that they are both sweet and only mildly acidic, so I was able to reduce the amount of sugar in the filling by almost half. I also added some rolled oats to the crust for some texture and fiber. While I don't think you could ever call a lemon bar healthy, these are certainly "healthier" than your run-of-the-mill lemon bars.

    With a buttery, crunchy crust underneath, the sweet fruity flavor of the strawberries pairs perfectly with the tart taste and floral aroma of the Meyer lemon juice. As the days grow longer, I'm looking forward to trying this out with other fruits like peaches and wild blueberries!

    This recipe first appeared on norecipes.com but due to its age I've moved it here to my personal recipe archive. Check out the full No Recipes Archives for more older recipes, or check out some of my favorite recipes.

    Strawberry Lemon Bars have the appeal of strawberry lemonade.

    Strawberry Lemon Bars

    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 25 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Yield 12 servings

    Units

    Ingredients 

    for crust

    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup rolled oats
    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 pod vanilla bean (just the seeds scraped out)
    • 12 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter very cold (cut into ¼" cubes)

    for filling

    • ¾ cup strawberries (hulled, halved and sliced)
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 4 large eggs (lightly beaten)
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest
    • ⅔ cup Meyer lemon juice strained
    • powdered sugar for dusting

    Instructions

    • Line a 9" x 13" pan with enough parchment paper to go about 1" up on all sides. In the work bowl of a food processor, add the 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup rolled oats, ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 pod vanilla bean seeds. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the 12 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter and pulse until the dough looks like pea-sized gravel (about 10 1-second bursts). Sprinkle the dough evenly over the parchment-lined pan and use your fingers to press the dough into a uniform sheet that goes about ½" up all sides. Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    • In a small bowl, combine the ¾ cup strawberries and ¼ cup granulated sugar and toss to coat. This will release excess moisture and sweeten the strawberries. To prepare the filling, whisk together the 4 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest. Add the ⅔ cup Meyer lemon juice and whisk to combine.
    • Remove the crust from the freezer and put in oven and bake for around 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and fragrant. When the crust is done, take it out of the oven, then immediately scatter the strawberries around the crust, pour any accumulated juices into the lemon mixture and whisk to combine. Pour the lemon mixture over the strawberries.
    • Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, then put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the lemon bars doesn't jiggle anymore. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Slice, then dust with powdered sugar and serve. 

    Nutrition

    Calories 307kcalCarbohydrates 43gProtein 5gFat 13gSaturated Fat 8gPolyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0.5gCholesterol 92mgSodium 212mgPotassium 86mgFiber 1gSugar 27gVitamin A 442IUVitamin C 11mgCalcium 20mgIron 1mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American

    More Marc's Archive

    • Crispy Peppermint Bark
    • Luscious blueberries with a sugar biscuit and ice cream.
      Blueberry Cobbler
    • A bowl of Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup.
      Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • Spring Pasta with flowers and asparagus.
      Spring Pasta (Pasta Primavera)

    Comments

    No Comments

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    I started No Recipes back in 2007 as a place to share original dishes I'd created with friends. It's since evolved into something much bigger than I could have imagined, but as it grew, the focus shifted from inventing dishes to improving classics. In the spirit of how No Recipes began, I'm bringing back my weekly original recipes for all of my supporters and friends!

    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest

    More about me →

    Marc's Favorites

    • A plate of corn fritters.
      Cheesy Corn Fritters
    • Hamaguri no Sakamushi, a Japanese dish of sake-steamed clams, is plated here with opened shells and a light broth, finished with aromatic sansho leaves for a clean, herbal contrast.
      Sake Steamed Clams (Hamaguri No Sakamushi)
    • Spicy mentaiko and creamy butter adorn these steamed potatoes.
      Mentaiko Butter Potatoes
    • Roasted chicken on a plate.
      Perfect Roast Chicken
    • Tenderloin slices with mushroom wine cream sauce.
      Tenderloin Steak and Creamy Mushroom Sauce
    • Taiwanese style glazed pork chops.
      Five Spice Glazed Pork Chops

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Contact
    • About

    Newsletter

    • Recipe Updates by Email

    Legal

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms and Conditions

    All text and photos ©2007-2023 by Marc Matsumoto. All rights reserved.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.