Easy, no mixer bars with a shortbread crust, one pound of fresh berries, a layer of sweet custard, and creamy whipped topping!! A perfect warm weather dessert that everyone LOVES!!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time55 minutesmins
Cooling Time5 hourshrs
Total Time6 hourshrs5 minutesmins
Course: Bars & Blondies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: custard bars, desserts to make with strawberries, easy strawberry desserts, fresh strawberry desserts, strawberry bars
Servings: 9
Calories: 416kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Crust
1cupall-purpose flour
½cupcold unsalted butter
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
½teaspoonsaltor to taste
Filling
1poundfresh strawberriesdiced into small pieces (reserve about 5 whole strawberries for garnishing)
2large eggs
1cupgranulated sugar
½cupheavy whipping cream
1teaspoonvanilla extract
⅓cupall-purpose flour
Topping
about 3/4 of one 8-ounce container whipped toppingI used fat-free; homemade whipped cream may be substituted
strawberry slicesfor garnishing
Instructions
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil; set aside.
To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, butter, sugar, salt, and using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Turn mixture out into prepared pan and hard-pack with a spatula to form an even, smooth, crust layer.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set on a wire rack to cool. While crust bakes, dice the strawberries.
Filling:
After crust has cooled for about 5 minutes, evenly top with strawberries; set aside.
To a large mixing bowl (the same one used for the crust is fine, just wipe it out with a paper towel), add the eggs, sugar, cream, vanilla, and whisk vigorously for about 1 minute to combine.
Add the flour and stir to combine; don’t overmix.
Evenly pour filling mixture over the strawberries.
Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown and custard is set. Tip – In the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking, if the top is already looking fairly browned, tent the pan with a sheet of foil (loosely drape a sheet of foil over the pan) to prevent additional browning.
Allow bars to cool uncovered on a wire rack for about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight), or until chilled.
Topping:
Evenly spread the whipped topping over the top and garnish with strawberry slices. Serve immediately.
Notes
Topping: If using homemade whipped cream, it will be prone to deflating after the first day. For that reason, I prefer using whipped topping.Storage: Bars will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.