Strawberrry Shortbread Crumb Bars

Here are my beautifully delicious, strawberry shortbread crumb bars. Filled with strawberry and coconut oil there is plenty of “sweet” in these, without as much sugar and butter as most cookie recipes call for.

Homemade treats are a must at the holidays. Sweets and treats are unavoidable. This is one time of the year when I don’t feel guilty for indulging... because it only happens one time a year. As always there are recipes that can make you feel less guilty about bringing a treat to a family gathering – I believe this is one of them. I call these a “skinny” version of traditional strawberry shortbread crumb bar.

This strawberry shortbread crumb bar recipe is a three-layer masterpiece, which consists of a shortbread layer, strawberry jam and topped with sweet soft cookie crumbles. Coconut oil reduces the guilt on this one, by eliminating the need for two full sticks of butter (which is what most recipes call for) and adds a sweeter flavor. 

Layer one.

Layer two. 

Layer three.

There are lots of store bought jams out there now with low sugar. I found this Smuckers Fruit Spread with no artificial ingredients and only 10 grams of sugar! Gold!

Add these to your Christmas cookie baking list! You probably have almost all the ingredients in your pantry.

Price:  Coconut oil is the expensive bugger in this one, ($4 at Aldi but more at regular groceries) but you will only use about ¼ of a standard 14 oz jar. Other ingredients are common for baking.

Strawberry Shortbread Crumb Bar Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour

½ Cup Butter

½ Cup Coconut Oil (softened or liquefied)

½ Cup White Sugar
1 tsp. water (optional)

1 Cup Strawberry Jam

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup Quick Oats

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix butter (softened), flour, coconut oil and white sugar. You can use a hand or stand mixer (but in my minimalist kitchen I used a good old whisk and my hands). Mix until combined and you get a cookie dough texture. If needed add 1 tsp. water to get the right consistency. Reserve ½ cup of dough mixture (crumbles are best). On a greased 13x9 or similar size baking dish, spread out the remaining dough, flat until it covers the bottom of the dish. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix strawberry and lemon juice. Then in a medium sized bowl, mix the crumble layer, using reserved dough, brown sugar and quick oats. Stir until combined. It should be clumpy. When crust is done baking, let cool for five minutes, and then spread the strawberry mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool about an hour before serving. You may cut into slices while cooling, but don’t remove from pan (they will most likely be soft and break apart).

Strawberry and crumble layers.

Enjoy and let food be your energy!

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(originally posted 12/23/2015)