Strawberry Pie Bars

I had my eye on this recipe way before I even went strawberry picking…and these pie bars met every expectation. 🙂 This recipe is from Joy the Baker. Wonderful!

For the Crust:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Strawberry Filling:

• 2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced into bite-size chunks (about 4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons minute tapioca
• Confectioners’ sugar, for topping

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over two edges of the pan about two inches. This will make the pie bars easier to remove after it’s baked. Lightly spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. For the crust, place the butter, sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, salt, and cinnamon and mix on low-speed until just combined.
5. Scatter two-thirds of the dough into clumps in the prepared pan, flour your fingers and press the dough across the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan about 1/2-inch. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and set aside to cool while you prepare the topping and filling.
7. In a small bowl combine the remaining crust and pecans. Stir until combined and set aside.
8. In a medium bowl toss together the sliced strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and spices. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes until some juices develop in the bottom of the bowl.
9. After the juices have developed, add the melted butter and the instant tapioca. Stir to combine. The tapioca will look coarse within the mixture but it will dissolve in the oven.
10. Spread the strawberries evenly over the crust.
11. Pinch medium pieces of remaining dough with your fingers and drop them evenly over the top of the strawberry mixture (they won’t cover the top completely but do your best to cover).
12. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the topping is brown and the strawberry mixture is bubbling. (If there are still tapioca bits, take the pan out of the oven and gently stir those berries in so the tapioca gets moistened.)
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
14. Chill in the refrigerator to easily remove the bars from the pan. Once cooled, remove from the pan and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Note: The bars can be stored, wrapped individually or covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Double Apple Pie

I have never made an apple pie that I didn’t enjoy. Apple pie is delicious! 😉 But, I am still seeking a pie that I absolutely love- a pie that will end the search for the perfect pie.

This pie was lovely, with notes of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I used a combination of apples and sliced them in a food processor. The pie crust incorporated vodka to ensure a flaky result; my Mother-in-law always utilizes this trick. The filling, thickened with tapioca and apple butter, held together perfectly. I baked it the day before Thanksgiving and it kept well at room temperature.

I served it at the end of our Thanksgiving feast along with my favorite Pumpkin Chiffon Pie and Pecan Pie Bars. Most of us eat small slices of whichever dessert strikes our fancy- topped with either whipped cream or served with vanilla ice cream. This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark.

Yield: One 9-inch pie

For the Crust:

• 2 ½ cups/300 grams all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon/2.5 grams coarse salt
• 2 ½ sticks/20 tablespoons/285 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 4 tablespoons/60 ml vodka
• ¼ to ½ cup ice water

For the Filling:

• 3 pounds/1 1/3 kilograms apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (1/8-inch) (I used a combination of Sweet Tango, Envy, Granny Smith, and Fuji apples)
• ½ cup/99 grams granulated sugar, more as needed
• 2 tablespoons/30 grams dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons/30 grams quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 ½ teaspoons/3 grams ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon/3 grams ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• pinch ground cloves
• 1 ½ tablespoons/22 ml lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons/45 grams apple butter
• heavy cream or milk, as needed
• turbinado sugar, for sprinkling, as needed
• vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving

To Make the Crust:

1. In a food processor, pulse together flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms 3/4-inch pieces.
3. Mix vodka with 4 tablespoons ice water (or use 1/2 cup ice water).
4. Add half the ice water mixture to dough, pulse a few times, then continue adding liquid a tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together (you might not use all the liquid). Dough should be moist, but not wet, and hold together when pinched. If there are visible pieces of butter in the dough, all the better.
5. Between layers of plastic wrap or on a lightly floured surface, gather dough into a ball. Remove a third of the dough and form into a disk. Form remaining dough into a disk.
6. Cover both tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.

To Complete the Pie:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger disk to a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork, then chill crust for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
2. While dough chills, heat oven to 400 degrees, preferably on convection.
3. Line chilled crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed. (You can bake the crust up to 24 hours in advance.)
4. Toss apples with sugars, tapioca, spices, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Fold in apple butter. Transfer apples to crust and press gently to make sure fruit is tightly packed.
5. Roll out remaining dough disk to a 10-inch round. Use a knife to cut strips 1 3/4 inches wide (or desired width). Arrange strips over the filling in a lattice pattern.
6. Brush top of crust with heavy cream or milk. Sprinkle with granulated or turbinado sugar.
7. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, about 1 hour 15 minutes more.
8. Let pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before cutting.
9. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche.

One Year Ago:

• Ina Garten’s Apple Pie Bars with Browned Butter Glaze
• Browned Butter Pecan Pie with Espresso Dates

Two Years Ago:

• Pear & Almond Cream Tart
• Apple & Pear Galette with Walnut Streusel

Three Years Ago:

• German Apple Cake
• Luscious Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Four Years Ago:

• Apple Layer Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
• Brown Butter & Vanilla Bean Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie with Press-In Shortbread Crust

Five Years Ago:

• Apple-Pear Pie with Walnut Crust
• Apple Galette
• Apple Cupcakes
• Mile-High Pumpkin-Pecan Pie