Strawberry Lemonade Bars

This dessert has absolutely no chocolate in it and I chose to make it without any special requests. I'm not sure you realize how big of a deal this is. No chocolate. If you are looking for a rich dessert, this is not for you. Not that it lacks in flavor...at all. I was surprised and impressed with how much like strawberry lemonade it tastes and it has a nice balance of sweet and tart that is perfect with the shortbread crust. Speaking of the crust - wow - now I am really tempted to make some sort of shortbread cookie! So easy and tasty! Really, these bars are a great summer treat! I was a little sad they didn't turn out with more of a pink tint - next time I'll add more strawberries. More strawberry flavor is never a bad thing, right?

Note: It is best the first day. If you need to make it a day ahead of time, wait to sprinkle the powdered sugar on until just before serving otherwise it will absorb and look...well, soggy and gross. Also, the shortbread crust looses some of it's fresh texture that pairs so well with the topping. I had it a day later and it was not as appealing looking, but still very nice. On the third day it just grossed me out to look at so I threw the couple that remained away. Lesson learned.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Recipe from Baking Bites

How I did it:

Crust
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, room
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1 cup pure lemon juice
3 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed fresh strawberries
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13" baking pan and set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour and salt together and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, beat together sugar and butter until creamed and fluffy.

4. Slowly beat the flour/salt into the butter/sugar. Beat until mixture sticks together in crumbly bits. Pour into prepared baking pan and press down until it covers the bottom evenly. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are set and lightly browned. This is your crust.

5. While the crust is baking, pour the lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry puree, sugar, and eggs in a food processor and process until well-combined and smooth - will be very thin. Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) and continue to process until smooth again.

6. When the crust is ready (you don't need to let it cool), carefully pour the filling on top and return to the oven. Bake about 25 minutes until filling is set.

7. Using a soup spoon, dust generously with powdered sugar. Let sit until completely cool before cutting and serving. Best served the same day at room temperature.

White Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Strawberries

Cheesecake and fruit. These were the first two things my friend listed when I mentioned my plan to make him something for his birthday. Immediately I thought of those cheesecake stuffed strawberries that have been all over Pinterest. Yes, of course they look good, but not overly exciting. Not enough cheesecake filling! So, I decided to take strawberries, split them in half, pile on the cheesecake filling, cover them back up and then dunk them in white chocolate. If it were for myself I would have done milk chocolate, but I know he is a fan of white chocolate and I thought it would look nicer anyway. I didn't want to make the filling too sweet since I was also dunking in white chocolate, but you could easily add more powdered sugar as you go along if you find it is not sweet enough for you.

Not wanting to overwhelm him I only made 8, but you could change the ratios to make more or less. They were a bit messy, but he said they were really tasty. The cheesecake filling alone would make a great fruit dip! Okay, I confess...I dunked a strawberry or two in the leftover filling and I was not disappointed.

White Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Strawberries

How I did it

8 strawberries
5 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 bag good quality white chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)
1/2 tablespoon canola oil (or shortening)

1. Wash, dry, and de-stem the strawberries. Set aside.

2. Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until creamy.

3. Cut one strawberry at a time down the middle, lengthwise, and clean out any of the white in the middle. Scoop the cheesecake filling onto the freshly cut strawberry half and then lightly press the other half on top. Some filling should be sticking out of the sides and the top. This is good. Place on a tray and repeat for the other strawberries. When complete (it won't take long!) place your tray of cheesecake strawberries in the fridge to let the filling harden up a bit.

4. Pour about 1/2 a bag of white chocolate chips and a small amount of canola oil (you could also use shortening, but I prefer oil)  into a double boiler to melt. Do not let any water mix in or you will ruin your chocolate. You don't necessarily need a full 6 ounces/half bag, but you do want to make sure you have extra in there so there is plenty of white chocolate depth for dipping your your strawberry sandwiches will come apart! Take the strawberries out of the fridge one at a time and  holding at the top (larger) end dunk into the chocolate. Place on a tray and repeat for the rest of the strawberries. When done place the tray in the fridge. Once the white chocolate has hardened you can serve or put in an container to store in the fridge.