Strawberry Shortcake Bars

This brownie recipe, Strawberry Shortcake Bars, leans on salt, ground nutmeg and cold salted butter. It makes 24 Bars (9X13-inch pan) and takes about 70 minutes.

• Yield 24 Bars (9X13-inch pan)
• Ready in 70 minutes
• Prep 20 minutes
• Cook 50 minutes

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 ¼ cups ( 178 g ) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup ( 100 g ) quick oatmeal
• ½ cup ( 106 g ) lightly packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 14 tablespoons cold salted butter , cut into cubes

Filling

• 1 ½ cups ( 213 g ) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup ( 159 g ) granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons ( 113 g ) salted butter , melted
• 1 large egg

Strawberry Topping

• 2 pounds diced fresh strawberries
• ½ cup ( 106 g ) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease (the foil makes for easier cleanup but you can leave it out and just grease the pan).
2. For the crust, in a large bowl combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg. Toss in the cubed butter and cut it into the dry mixture using a pastry blender or two knives or just your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and set it aside for later.
3. Press the rest of the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.
4. While the crust bakes, make the filling by whisking together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar (you can use the same bowl as the crust without washing it out if you want to save a dish). Make a well in the center and pour in the butter and egg. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth and combined - it will be pretty thick.
5. Crumble this mixture over the warm crust and pat into a relatively even layer (doesn't have to be perfect).
6. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and vanilla. Spread evenly over the filling and sprinkle the reserved streusel/crust mixture over the top.
7. Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes until they are just lightly golden around the edges and the center is no longer soft/jiggly.
8. Cool completely in the pan. Cut into bars and serve.

Cool the pan before you lift the squares.