Strawberry Shortbread Bars
This lovely dessert has a shortbread crust, topped with strawberry preserves and a coconut topping. It's delightful for holiday parties and Christmas Cookie Exchanges.
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 1 1/2 cups UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1 tbsp. milk (I used half-and-half)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold
- 12 oz. strawberry preserves
TOPPING:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups coconut
Instructions
CRUST:
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Spray a 9x13” baking pan or dish with cooking spray.
- To make crust: mix flour, baking powder in a medium mixing bowl.
- Cut in blender with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add egg and milk and stir to combine.
- Press mixture down very firmly into bottom of prepared pan with a fork or your hands.
- Spread strawberry preserves on top of crust layer to within ¼ to ½ inch of border.
TOPPING:
- To make topping: Beat egg with fork.
- Stir in sugar, vanilla, butter and coconut.
- This is kind of like a macaroon layer.
- Dollop topping over top of preserves covering surface entirely.
- Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and preserves are set.
- Cool completely before cutting.
Notes
NOTE: I usually freeze the bars for an hour or two before cutting. I invert the whole pan on a large cutting board, turn over in one piece, and then cut into bars with a heavy-duty pizza cutter for straight edges.
NOTE: Because I used half-and-half and it’s much thicker than 2% milk, I used between two and three tablespoons instead of one.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
[nutrition-label]Nutrition
Calories: 161kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 27mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.4mg
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