Lemony Strawberry Bars with Oat Crumble Topping

I love baking with fruit, especially during the summertime, and these strawberry-lemon crumb bars are just bursting with summer fruit flavor!

In the summer, I am obsessed with all things fruit. I will incorporate it into every dessert and side dish possible. 

These simple strawberry-lemon crumb bars are the perfect summer treat! The tartness of the berries and lemon, the sweetness of the brown sugar and the texture of the oatmeal crumb make for a perfect combination. Easy to make, no mixer or fancy utensils needed, it’s great for making in the bungalow or on hot summer days at home. It can easily be made in advance and frozen if you don’t want to be busy baking close to Shabbos. 

I keep a 9×13 pan of this on my counter for noshing during the week, but it’s also great served warm on Friday night with a scoop of ice cream and delicious Shabbos morning for breakfast with some yogurt and a cup of coffee. 

When I was testing this recipe, my daughter, who isn’t usually very fond of fruit-based desserts, took a spoonful and said, “Oh, wow, Ma, this is good!” Coming from her, that’s the ultimate compliment!

I used frozen strawberries, which I defrosted and then lightly crushed and then drained before mixing with the other ingredients. I like to use a potato masher for this. It breaks the strawberries down while still keeping their texture. 

If using fresh strawberries, just dice them. And if you don’t use strawberries at all, you can leave them out and double the jam instead. 

You can use any jam flavor. I personally like to use strawberry or triple berry. Sometimes around Rosh Hashanah time, I’ll skip the strawberries and bake these with a pomegranate or apple jam filling. 

While I usually suggest slicing baked goods while warm, it’s best to slice these strawberry-lemon crumb bars after they’ve cooled so the filling won’t be so runny. 

For more lemony-sweet summer fruit baking, try my lemon-blueberry crisp!

Strawberry-Lemon Crumb Bars

Summer fruit baked goods are so refreshing and delicious!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Crumbs:

• 1½ cups flour
• 1 cup oats (any kind)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• ½ cup oil

Filling:

• 15 (approx.) frozen strawberries, thawed*
• 1 12-oz. jar strawberry jam**
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix together all crumb ingredients until it forms coarse crumbs; set aside.
• For the filling, crush thawed strawberries slightly (a potato masher works well for this). Pour off excess liquid. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
• Press half the crumbs into a lined 9×13 pan. Pour sauce over crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.

Notes

*If using fresh strawberries, just finely dice. If you don’t use strawberries, you can leave them out and double the jam instead.

**If you don’t have strawberry jam, you can use any flavor.

Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/strawberry-lemon-crumb-bars/