Strawberry Lemonade Bars

I finally got around to making one of the many recipes on my "baking" board on Pinterest.  I have been spending way too much time surfing the site, pinning recipes I'd like to try, crafts I'd like to make, projects I'd like to do, flowers I'd like to grow, decor I'd like to have and plenty of other pictures that make me go "ooh" and "ahh."  (I'm not kidding; I named two of my boards "ooh" and "ahh.")

But anyway, back to the recipes.  One of my New Year's resolutions was to go through the recipes I've collected on Pinterest and make one dessert and one main dish or salad per week.

Here we are, eight weeks in, do you think I've made sixteen recipes?  Nope.  This weekend I made my first Pinterest recipe.........and I'm happy to say it is a keeper!  Can you imagine the pressure that I put on that recipe?   If it failed, then the chances were pretty good that I would nix that New Year's resolution.

Here is a picture of the Strawberry Lemonade Bars.  Now for those of you that are thinking, "My, how  Fran's photography skills have improved!"--you need to know that this is the picture that was taken and posted by kandktestkitchen .  If you click on that link it will take you to the original post and recipe.

And for those of you who prefer your photos a bit more dim and drab, accompanied by awkward attempts at witty repartee...........well, I thank you for that.  :)

Today's Playlist

• "Train in Vain"......Clash
• "Fell In Love With A Girl"......White Stripes
• "Lonely Boy".........Black Keys
• "Only Happy When It Rains"......Garbage
• "Uprising"........Muse

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

For the crust:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cup berries)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

powdered sugar, for topping

Gather your ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and softened butter, until smooth and fluffy.

Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly.

It will be really crumbly.  Do not despair.

Empty the dry, crumbly crust ingredients into your prepared pan.  

Spread evenly into the pan with a spatula.  Use your fingers to press the crumbs down.

See?  Those dry crumbs cooperated nicely and formed a great crust.  Place the crust in your preheated 350-degree oven for about 15-17 minutes, until set at the edges.

While the crust bakes, prepare your filling.

Zest one of the lemons.

Juice your lemons until you have 1 cup of juice.  It took 3 lemons for me to get one cup of juice.

In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries.

Add the lemon juice

and zest,

sugar

and eggs, and process until smooth.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and blend until smooth.

Remove your crust from the oven.

Gently pour the filling over the hot crust.  Return the pan to the oven and bake for 23-26 minutes, until the filling is set (mine took 24 minutes).

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

 When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Use a sharp knife to slice into bars.

Enjoy!!

(Store bars in the refrigerator to prevent the crust from getting soggy.)