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Strawberry Crisp Bars
These delicious Strawberry Crisp Bars have a buttery brown sugar crust, juicy ruby red strawberry compote and crumbly brown sugar oat topping. They're perfect for brunch in the Spring and Summer or taking to a backyard BBQ party.
Ingredients
Crust and topping:
- 1 ¼ cups plus 3 tbsp (180g plus 27g) all-purpose flour, divided
- ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoon (20g) quick oats
Strawberry compote:
- 450 g (3 ¼ cups) fresh hulled chopped strawberries, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (8g) corn starch
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) water
Instructions
- Make the strawberry compote. Combine strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until the strawberries break down. Combine corn starch and water in a small bowl and then stir it into the strawberry mixture. Continue stirring until it thickens and let it bubble for 20 seconds to activate the corn starch. Transfer to a clean bowl to cool completely., then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Make-Ahead Tip: You can prepare the compote up to 3 days in advance and store in a sealed jar in the fridge.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch round springform pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crust and crumb topping. Combine 1 ¼ cups (180g) flour, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add cooled melted butter and rub together (it is important that the butter is cool or it can make the base crust greasy). Remove a heaped cup of this mixture to a separate bowl and add the oats – this will be your crumble topping.
- Add 3 tablespoon flour to the base mixture and mix it in – this will be your crust. Tip this crust mixture out into your prepared baking pan and press it evenly over the base and about 1-inch up the sides of the pan. I like to use a straight edged drinking glass to form the crust smooth along the bottom and push it gently up the sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.
- Assemble the bars and bake again. Pour the strawberry compote over the pre-baked crust in an even layer. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the strawberry layer so it covers the surface completely. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumble is golden. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan before slicing.
