Fresh Strawberry Crumble Bars

June was strawberry picking season and every year my family goes up the country to a local strawberry farm and picks quarts and quarts of fresh strawberries. I love going to farms where I can pick my own produce. It really reconnects me to the incredible world we live in and I always take that time to appreciate our Earth and her agriculture. After coming home, I took a look around the kitchen and thought about all of my traditional recipes I wanted to make and all of the possibilities for new recipes to test out.

Crumble bars have always been on my list. Now, when I tell you these strawberry crumble bars are too good to be dairy, egg, nut, seed free AND vegan, I mean it! They are delicious and my family and friends can attest to that.

Serves: 16 bars

Ingredients:

The Crumble:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 cup allergy free butter substitute, very cold*

• 1 egg replacer

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Filling:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

1. Chop the strawberries and set aside.

2. To make the crumble, add the sugar, flour, and baking powder in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the egg replacer and add in the vanilla extract. Add this into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix together until well incorporated. Cut in the allergy free butter substitute with a pastry cutter/fork. When finished, the dough should consist of small and crumbly pieces.

4. Grease a 8x8 inch cake pan with the allergy free butter substitute and pat half of the crumble dough into the pan. This will create the bottom layer of the bars so make sure there are no holes or very thin patches. You want a good foundation for your berry middle! :)

5. To make the berry middle, add the sugar and cornstarch to the bowl of chopped strawberries. Stir together until thickened and combined. Spoon the berries into the pan and spread evenly into a thin layer.

6. Sprinkle the remaining crumble dough over the layer of strawberries.

7. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees F. The crumble is done when the top is a beautiful golden brown.

8. Cool completely in the pan and use a plastic knife to cut the bars away from the pan edges. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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