Strawberry Lemon Cookie Bars With Lemon Glaze

Strawberries just taste like summer don't they?

We eat them year round (yes even when they are not in season!) If we only ate fruit and veggies when they were in season... well then here in NH we would never eat veggies and fruit.

So yes I buy out of season California Berries. *tisk tisk*

Nothing against California, but when you buy fruit shipped across the country... it tends to not be that fantastic.

And has anyone else noticed the size of the berries?

Why is it that when I pick fresh berries here in NH they are about the size of a quarter MAYBE a 50 cent piece.... but these out of season Cali berries are seriously the size of my face. No joke!

Well not really, but man they are big.... and they taste like... water.

Yeah it's true, out of season berries taste like nothing.

 Someone out there... can you explain this to me? Because I don't get it!

There is nothing better than going to a pick your own farm and picking a couple flats of berries in late June and coming home to make pies, jellies, and the freezing the rest for future goodies.

Oh I love strawberry season!

When I was a little girl we would drive to Indiana in the summers to visit my grandparents (yes I said DRIVE from NH... to IN. 16 long ass hours let me tell ya!) One earliest memories is of picking strawberries out of their garden and eating them with just a bit of sugar sprinkled over the top.

I will forever love that simple treat!

My Nana (who lives here in NH) is huge on fresh berries. When I was a kid when I went to visit she would make us virgin strawberry daiquiris in the summer. Holy cow, nothing better than a daiquiri made with fresh strawberries!

So here is a simple cookie bar filled with that summertime flavor I am so desperately craving right now!

**This recipe is easily adaptable for those who do not like lemon or those who may not like berries. It's a basic sugar cookie bar recipe that I spruced up a bit. If you do not like lemon, omit the lemon juice and zest and replace with 1 tbs of pure vanilla extract. For the glaze... to give it that berries and cream flavor. Replace the lemon juice with 1-2 tbs of heavy cream**

Strawberry Lemon Cookie Bars w/ Lemon Glaze

Ingredients for the bars:

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbs lemon zest
1 cup of room temperature butter
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 egg
1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries (don't use frozen please) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer cream sugar and butter together.  

Mix in egg, lemon juice and zest. 

Mix in flour mixture.

Fold in diced strawberries by hand.

Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with foil.

Press dough into the bottom of the pan.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. 

Let the bars cool before cutting and glazing.

For the Glaze

1 cup of confectioners sugar and the juice of half a lemon.  Whisk together and pour over cut and cooled bars.


*This recipe was inspired by these Lemon Glazed cookies and these Strawberry Shortcake Cookies by Two Peas and Their Pod .

 

 

What is your favorite summertime treat?