Strawberry Pie Bars Recipe

Filling:

1. In a bowl, mix the strawberries, lemon juice, granulated sugar and ginger.
2. Set aside for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Move on to preparing the crust.
3. While the crust is cooling, finish the filling.
4. Remove about 3 tablespoons of the juice that has formed and mix it with the corn starch.
5. Add the dissolved corn starch and the melted butter to the strawberries and mix well.

Crust/Topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest on med-high speed for 3 minutes or until creamy.
3. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and almonds.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and blend until all the flour is incorporated.
6. Set aside one-third of the dough.
7. Press the remaining two-thirds of dough into the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of an 8×8-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
8. Place the baking dish in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool while finishing the filling.
10. When the berries are ready, pour them (and the juice) into the pre-baked crust and spread evenly.
11. Break the reserved dough into chunks and sprinkle over the berries. You will not cover them completely but cover as much as you can.
12. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
13. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
14. Move the dish to the refrigerator to cool completely.
15. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.