Celebrate Strawberry Season with a Sweet Treat: Strawberry Lemonade Bars

No mixer required for these bright, lemony bars that are topped with a sweet and tangy strawberry frosting! Ideal to enjoy with a cup of tea or anytime you need a sweet treat! You’ll also find teatime inspiration from my Tea on Tuesday friends. ☕ 

Welcome to our May edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things ‘tea’

on the third Tuesday of the month!

Pam and I are excited to have Jennifer at Celebrating Everyday Life

 join us once again as a special guest today!

We’re glad you’re here too, pour yourself a cuppa and join us! ☕

You can find Pam and Jennifer’s invitation to tea at the bottom of this post.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.  As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We’re celebrating strawberries for our May edition of Tea on Tuesdays!

🍓🍓🍓

A fun aside: Pam and I both had photographed our individual strawberry-themed teas without knowing what the other one of us had planned -> great minds sip alike! ☕   Jennifer quickly shifted gears to join us for a strawberry-themed trio!

Join me on the porch for a cup of strawberry green tea!

I was smitten with this pink tea tin featuring flowering strawberries by Cath Kidston, I found recently at HomeGoods. As a rule, I try to ‘never judge a tea by its tin’ but in this case  I found this Strawberry Green Tea as delightful as the tin. . .  light and refreshing, enjoyed hot or iced.

We’re enjoying tea out of a pretty teapot with strawberries 

and sipping from a Mikasa English Countryside teacups and saucers, featuring

 an embossed fruit design with strawberries. . .

A whimsical red and white checked tin with strawberries holds a ‘scrumptious’ bouquet of peonies. . .

Help yourself to an equally scrumptious sweet treat, Strawberry Lemonade Bars!

I adapted this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Bars from King Arthur Flour.

It’s one of their ‘Bake it Easy’ recipes; considered low-fuss, made in a short amount of time, that can be mixed entirely by hand.

While not your traditional lemon bars, they have nice chewy cake-like texture (reminding me more of a blondie), and are topped with a sweet and tangy strawberry frosting. You don’t have to rely on fresh strawberries in season, as they call for freeze dried strawberries that pack more of a strawberry punch. I made just a couple of changes to the recipe, including a favorite way to boost the lemon flavor in baked goods, with Lemon Sugar!

Rather than zesting your lemon with a microplane to add to your batter, this method uses the food processor to fully incorporate the oils and flavor from the citrus peel into your sugar.

It takes only a minute in your food processor resulting in a fragrant lemony sugar that takes your baked goods over the top!

Method:

🍋 Wash and dry the lemons. Peel lemons using a serrated peeler, avoiding the bitter white pith.

Note: If using non-organic lemons, soak in warm water with 2 teaspoons of baking soda for a minute to remove any chemical residue on the peel.

🍋  Add sugar and lemon peel to a food processor fitted with a steel blade; process until the zest is completely incorporated into the sugar, (about a minute) or until the sugar becomes fragrant and pale yellow with no large pieces of peel remaining. Use immediately for best flavor, or store in a lidded jar or resealable bag removing any excess air, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Bar Ingredients

1 1/3 cups lemon sugar; from 1 1/3 cup sugar and 2 large lemons

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or homemade vanilla extract 

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

To make bars:

🍋 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9 inch) baking pan, sprayed the nonstick spray and with parchment paper with edges hanging over the pan for easy removal of bars.

🍋 Whisk together salt, flour and baking soda in small bowl; set aside.

🍋 In a medium bowl, combine the lemon sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter.  Whisk gently to combine, then mix vigorously for 30 seconds. Add eggs and continue whisking until combined.

🍋 Mix in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain; transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the edges.

🍋 Bake the bars for 28 to 32 minutes until the center is set, the bars are golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

🍋 Remove the bars from the oven and cool them completely in the pan (about 1 hour) before frosting.

 Strawberry Frosting Ingredients:

🍓 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries (12 grams / 0.42 oz package)

🍓 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

🍓 1/8 teaspoon salt

🍓 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumps

🍓 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

🍓 1 tablespoon lemon juice

To make the strawberry frosting:

🍓 Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a small ziplock bag; use a rolling pin or the bottom of a measuring cup to crush them into a fine powder (or use the food processor). Once ground, you should have about 1/4 cup of powder.

🍓 In a medium bowl, combine the freeze-dried strawberry powder, softened butter, and salt; stir with a flexible spatula until thoroughly combined.

🍓 Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and continue mixing gently with the spatula until combined. Once the confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, stir vigorously with the spatula to create a light and fluffy texture. (The mixture will look dry at first but after a couple of minutes, it will become fully combined.)

🍓 With a small offset spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the cooled bars. For easier cutting, chill for a couple of hours. When ready to cut, lift from pan using paper edges. Cut into 16 bars.

🍓 Store any leftover bars, covered, at room temperature for two days, freeze for longer storage.

Frosting alternative:

Doctor your favorite store-bought vanilla frosting by adding the same quantity of freeze-dried strawberries and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

You can find Taste of Home’s test kitchen’s ratings of best store-bought frostings, HERE.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

No mixer required for these bright, lemony bars that are topped with a sweet and tangy strawberry frosting, made with freeze-dried strawberries. Ideal to enjoy with a cup of tea or anytime you need a sweet treat!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

cool time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: freeze dried strawberry frosting, King Arthur Flour, lemon sugar, lemonade bars, teatime recipe

Servings: 16 bars

Equipment

• food processor
• 9 x 9 pan or 8 x 8 pan

Ingredients

Bars

• 1 1/3 cups lemon sugar recipe below
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanillla extract
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Lemon Sugar

• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large lemons

Frosting

• 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries (12 grams / 0.42 oz package)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted if lumpy
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

To make Lemon Sugar:

• For maximum lemon flavor: Wash and dry lemons. Using a serrated peeler, remove yellow peel from lemon, leaving behind the pith (the white part next to the peel which is bitter.)
• Place sugar and peel in a food processor bowl fitted with blade and pulse to combine. Process until the zest is completely incorporated into the sugar; about a minute or until the sugar becomes fragrant and pale yellow with no large pieces of peel remain.
• Use immediately for best flavor or place in lidded jar or resealable plastic bag, removing excess air, and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make Bars:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9 inch) baking pan, sprayed with nonstick spray and lined with parchment paper with edges hanging over the pan for easy removal of bars. Spray parchment paper.
• Whisk together salt, flour and baking soda in small bowl; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the lemon sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter. Whisk gently to combine, then mix vigorously for 30 seconds. Add eggs and continue whisking until combined.
• Using a spatula, mix in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it evenly to the edges.
• Bake the bars for 28 to 32 minutes until the center is set, the bars are golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. It’s OK if the toothpick isn’t clean, but you don’t want to see any raw batter.
• Remove the bars from the oven and cool them completely in the pan (about 1 hour) before frosting.

To make the Strawberry Frosting:

• Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a small ziplock bag and use a rolling pin or the bottom of a measuring cup to crush them into a fine powder (or use food processor). Once ground, you should have about 1/4 cup of powder.
• In a medium bowl, combine the freeze-dried strawberry powder, butter, and salt and stir with a flexible spatula until thoroughly combined.
• Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and continue mixing gently with the spatula until combined. Once the confectioners’ sugar is incorporated, stir vigorously with the spatula to create a light and fluffy texture. (The mixture will look dry at first but after a couple of minutes, it will become fully combined.)
• With a small offset spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the cooled bars. For easier cutting, chill for a couple of hours. When ready to cut, lift bars from pan using paper edges. Cut into 16 bars; for cleaner cuts, wipe knife after each row.
• Store any leftover bars, covered, at room temperature for two days, freeze for longer storage.

Notes

• For accurate measuring of flour, fluff your flour from the canister or bag and then spoon into your measuring cup so it’s overflowing, then level off with the edge of a knife. Scooping flour directly from the bag or canister will yield a heavier cup and larger amount that can negatively affect your recipes.
• Frosting alternative: Doctor a can of store bought vanilla frosting by adding same quantity of crushed freeze dried strawberries and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Baking times will vary depending on pans and your oven. Oven temperatures vary widely, depending on brand, age, whether electric or gas and it’s not unusual for an oven to run 25 - 50 degrees hotter or colder. Preheat your oven at least 20 minutes and know your oven and its hot spots. Use an inexpensive oven thermometer to monitor your oven’s temperature. 
• To make gluten free, swap out all-purpose flour for King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.

I ran across this test kitchen tip to store strawberries a few years ago that’s a winner!

Taste of Home tested six different methods to store strawberries and a mason jar was the clear winner.

My berries look just as fresh a week later stored in a jar, as they do the day I buy them!

🍓 No air can get into the sealed mason jars, with the natural moisture

in the fruit that keeping berries firm and leaves vibrant.

🍓 Make sure you place your strawberries, unwashed, in a glass mason jar,

stacking them loosely so that they aren’t bruising / smashing each other.

A quart jar will give you more storage room.

🍓 Remove any “iffy” berries before sealing them up in your jar as one moldy

or strawberry going south will cause the rest of the berries to spoil.

🍓 Tightly fasten the metal lid and band on the jar, then put it in the fridge. . .

an ideal method to get more life out of your fresh strawberries!

Details:

Strawberry plates / World Market

Strawberry pillow cover

Small strawberry pillow / Target

Strawberry Teapot 

Teacups and plate / Mikasa English Countryside

Strawberry melamine plates with bee / The Farmhouse by Rachel Ashwell, HomeGoods

Strawberry tin and towel / Emma Bridgewater, HomeGoods

Green and White Checked Napkins / Pier 1

Green and White Check Table Runner 

Looking for a strawberry green tea? 🍓☕

Taylors of Harrogate Strawberry & Vanilla Green Tea is rated 4.4 out of 5 stars with 3,398 global ratings

You’re invited to join Pam and Jennifer for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Jennifer at Celebrating Everyday Life

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch