Strawberry Bars

This is one of those recipes you'll probably find in almost every old church or school cookbook you have. It's a 'Grandma' recipe and one that doesn't shout out to draw attention to itself. I think it's more of a bar that I picture two housewives in aprons sharing at the Formica kitchen table back in 1957 while their children play nearby.

On the flip side I also think that because of it's strawberry layer and the glaze on top it's one that would be very pretty on a dessert tray at the holidays. I make a bar similar to this with cranberries, which is why I decided to post this one for those that may shy away from a cranberry filling but may already have strawberry jam on hand and can whip these up in no time at all.


Strawberry Bars

Crumb Mixture
1 1/4 cup flour
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter, softened

Filling
3/4 c flour
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c butter, softened
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 c strawberry preserves

Glaze:
3/4 c powdered sugar
1 T milk
1 t almond extract


In a bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and butter. Mix until crumbly. Press into greased 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 over for 15 minutes. While baking, combine the filling ingredients except the strawberry preserves. Beat on low until well blended and set aside. Spread the strawberry preserves to within 1/2 inch from edge of the hot crust. Sprinkle reserved filling over the strawberry layer and return it to the oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

In small bowl combine all glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. When the bars are completely cool drizzle with the glaze mixture.