Strawberry Crumble Bars

I've used beautiful seasonal British strawberries for this simple yet delicious traybake

I think I vouch for most people when I say I really look forward to strawberry season here in the UK. At the moment, it is a very warm June and the strawberries are plump and vibrantly red and I've been making a conscious effort to buy these more than other fruits whilst they are in season. If you are new here, I speak frequently about trying to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables all-year round, where possible. sometimes it is difficult because of what is available and price in different supermarkets. It's important to support our own locally-grown produce and it always tastes better. I don't know about you, but whenever I have tried strawberries in winter time, they are so small and always disappointing as they lack in flavour. But British summertime strawberries are perfectly sweet and are the hero in this dessert I'm sharing with you today. 

I love crumble bars - I've got a few other variations on my blog already, see here - I think they are much better than an actual crumble because they have a base and I love the crumbly biscuity part the most. Plus I find them easier to share purely because you can put them in a Tupperware or wrap in foil, doing that with a crumble is too much hassle! To give these crumble bars some extra flavour, I've added a little bit of ginger to the crumble topping as part of my inspiration from the King's Coronation dessert of a Strawberry Ginger Trifle so I thought it would be a nice touch.

If you love strawberries and traybake....

Check out my other recipes for more inspiration!

• Vegan White Chocolate Cranberry Crumble Bars
• Vegan Cherry Crumble Bars
• Strawberry Tart

Recipe

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 55 minutes

Serves: 16

Notes:

• You can omit the ground ginger in the topping but it adds a lovely warmth to it. Try cinnamon instead!
• After 40 minutes the crumble bars may seem a little wobbly, but once cooled down the filling will set so try not to overtake if you think they are not baked. 

Ingredients

Base

• 150g butter
• 220g plain flour
• 50g caster sugar
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 400g strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 150g strawberry jam
• 1tbsp cornstarch 
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 tbsp orange juice

Crumble topping

• 75g butter, cold
• 50g caster sugar
• 95g plain flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• pinch of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and grease and line a 8x8 inch square cake tin with baking paper, making sure the sides have an overhang.
2. Make the crumble topping first. In a medium-sized bowl, add the sugar, flour, ginger and salt. 
3. Cube the butter, then use your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Place in the fridge to keep firm.
4. Make the base. Using the same method as the topping, rub the butter into the dry ingredients then tip into the lined baking tin and use your hands or a glass to press the base firmly down into a flat, even layer.
5. Bake for 12 minutes. 
6. Whilst the base is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients together and mix well to ensure the strawberries are coated in the cornstarch.
7. Once the base is baked, spoon the filling on top, then top with the crumble mixture making sure to distribute evenly.
8. Bake for a further 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.
9. Once baked, leave to cool completely in the tin and then refrigerate for about 1 hour. This will help to slice them into bars. 
10. Best stored in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Christina

xx