There is a famous chain of restaurants that my mom and I used to go to every time we went to the nearest shopping mall. Their french fries were AMAZING (it’s all about the seasoned steak fries baby!) but the one thing that I could barely get through the door without ordering was their Strawberry Lemonade. It was tart, yet sweet from the berries and it had huge chunks of fresh strawberry that would get so soft they would eventually be able to be sucked up through the straw. It really is one of my favorite food memories because it always signified a great day out with my mother, usually a day to split up the long summer days.
But there are days where a glass of lemonade (even the best ever lemonade) will not suffice. Sometimes you want the tart and the sweet to mingle together on top of a buttery shortbread crust. This was definitely one of those times. These Strawberry Lemonade Bars are EVERYTHING. And by EVERYTHING I mean they’re everything that was good about that delicious glass of lemonade, supercharged into a tiny little bite size square of pure sweet strawberry and tangy lemon curd, atop a rich and buttery cookie-like crust.
Another thing- they are almost (and I mean almost) too cute to eat. They turn out a beautiful shade of pink and look so lovely when sprinkled with powdered sugar. Try swapping out raspberries for a more reddish bar, or try blueberries to make a more purple one! Take care after baking, however, as even if they look like they’re ready to eat, you must let them set in the fridge. They need at least a few hours before slicing.