Ah, the insanity that is Pinterest.
I am developing a love-hate relationship with this fabulous new time-suck…but, when it comes to finding new food inspiration, the feeling is generally one of love.
When I clicked on the original pin for this recipe, I fully expected the bright pink color to be a result of Jello, cake mix or insanely large amounts of food coloring that would’ve sent me clicking away. Instead, I was amazed to find that freshly pureed strawberries added to the lemon-sugar mixture result in a shade of pink so super girly vibrant that it would Pinkaliscious smile 🙂
I actually want to play with this recipe some more, maybe trying a few different types of berries to get different colored bars. And maybe a thicker crust–I’ll keep you posted.
For now, it’s pretty close to perfect. Store them in the fridge so they don’t melt away.
Crust
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Filling
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan.
For the crust:
1. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth and fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3.Pour into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 15 minutes, until set at the edges and slightly golden brown.
For the filling:
1. In a food processor or blender, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry puree, sugar and eggs and process until smooth.
2. Add in flour, baking powder and salt, then pulse until smooth.
To assemble and bake:
1. Pour the filling over the hot, just baked crust.
2. Return pan to oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until the filling is set.
3. Cool completely before slicing and cut into squares.
Makes about 2 dozen, depending on size of bar.