These gluten free strawberry crumble bars are an easy recipe you can enjoy all season long. These layered dessert bars feature a shortbread crust, homemade strawberry jam and a crunchy crumble topping.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
For the filling:
Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium-low heat.
3 Cups (480 g) Strawberries, ½ Cup (100 g) Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Once the berries release their juices, mash about half of the strawberries with a potato masher.
Make a slurry of cornstarch and water. Stir the starch slurry into the berries.
2 Tablespoons (16 g) Cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons (28 g) Water
Cook until the juices are bubbling and thickened. Allow to bubble for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the crust.
For the crust:
Add the gluten free flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest to a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it comes together in a crumbly dough. It will seem too dry, but it is okay.
1 ¾ Cups (259 g) Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ½ Cup (100 g) Sugar, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda, 10 Tablespoons Vegan Butter, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, 1 ½ teaspoons Lemon Zest
Add ⅔ of the dough mixture into the prepared baking pan. Press it into an even layer that covers the bottom of the pan.
Spread the strawberry jam over the bottom crust.
Crumble the remaining dough on top of the fruit filling.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is barely browned.
Allow the bars to cool completely before removing them from the pan.
Carefully lift the bars from the pan using the parchment paper flaps. Dust with a little powdered sugar (optional) and slice.
Notes
STORAGE: It isn't necessary to refrigerate these dessert bars, but I prefer it as I think keeping the butter in the crust chilled helps to keep them crispy. They do tend to soften after a couple of days, so I recommend consuming within 2-3 days.