Strawberry-n-Cream Bar Cookies

MAKES 16 BARS | ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES | BAKE TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES

So, tart strawberries and sweet cream is a yummy- sounding combo, am I right? And when the strawberries are of the freeze- dried variety, and the “cream” is white chocolate, and a buttery, blondie- type bar cookie is the vehicle that brings them together, yes: something delectable is, indeed, happening. Here, I am going to go completely off brand and suggest that an actual bar of white chocolate, chopped, works better than chips, as the chopped chocolate gets a tad meltier when baked. But they both work and give you strawberry-and-cream vibes in the most heavenly of ways possible.

• INGREDIENTS

• Cooking spray or softened unsalted butter for pan

  Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats Jessie Sheehan

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 large egg

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup (120 g) chopped white chocolate, or chips

• 3/4 cup (25 g) freeze-dried strawberries, crushed in your fist into dusty little bits, about 1/4 inch, or smaller

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 375 ° F. Grease an 8- inch square cake pan with cooking spray or softened butter. Line with a long piece of parchment paper that extends up and over two opposite sides of the pan.

2. Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl for 30 seconds. Whisk in the egg. Sprinkle the salt and baking powder into the bowl, one at a time, vigorously whisking after each. Fold in the flour with a flexible spatula until just a few streaks remain and then fold in the white chocolate and strawberries until the last streak disappears. 

3. Evenly spread the (thick) dough in the prepared pan with a flexible spatula and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating at the halfway point. The bars are ready when lightly browned in the middle and darker brown around the edges. Don’t overbake. 

4. Remove from the oven. Let cool to room temperature in the pan and then lift the bars out by the parchment overhang. Run a butter knife around the edges if they resist and slice into 16 squares. Keep the bars in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

Excerpted from Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats Copyright (c) 2022 by Jessie Sheehan. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

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