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Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The brown sugar in the cookie crust adds a subtle caramel note that helps the strawberries to shine!
Texture: Thick with slightly crisp edges and a soft, jammy strawberry center.
Ease: No finicky pie dough, no rolling, no chilling, no special equipment!
Why you’ll love this recipe: These will vanish at any summer BBQ, potluck, or get together!
These Strawberry Cobbler Bars combine the best parts of a cobbler, crumble, and buttery shortbread bar into one easy summer dessert.
Fresh strawberries bake into a jammy and delightfully pink filling between layers of a brown sugar shortbread dough. The result is a thick, buttery bar with crisp edges, bright flavor, and a gorgeous glaze on top.
Bonus: You can also use frozen strawberries!
I highly recommend serving these with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat.
Recipe Key Ingredients
Brown Sugar: Most shortbread dough recipes include only granulated sugar. The brown sugar in this dough helps to create a slightly caramelized flavor that complements the strawberries so beautifully. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
Strawberries: Make sure to wash, dry, and trim the green tops off the strawberries before using. You can also use 16 oz (400g) frozen strawberries in place of fresh, but don’t thaw first. Bake time should be about the same.
Flour + Cornstarch: These two ingredients act as thickeners for the strawberry filling, so don’t skip them!
Heavy Cream: I prefer cream for the glaze for extra thickness, but feel free to use any kind of milk you have on hand. You may just need to add a little less.
How to Make Strawberry Cobbler Bars (Step by Step)
Prepare dough. Combine dry ingredients. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add vanilla then dry ingredients until combined.
Press dough. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang. Transfer 2/3 of the dough to the pan into an even layer.
Bake. For just 20 minutes to partially bake the bottom layer so it doesn’t become soggy later.
Let cool 5 minutes. This will allow the center to dip slightly, making room for the filling.
Fill with strawberries. Combine them with sugar, flour, and cornstarch then add in a single layer.
Crumble dough. Take the remaining 1/3 dough and crumble it all over the top.
Final bake. Return to oven to 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown with bubbling strawberries.
Cool, ice, and serve. Cool completely before drizzling with vanilla icing. Cut into squares and serve.
Tessa’s Tips
- If using frozen strawberries, do not thaw first.
- Use a light-colored metal baking pan for quick & even baking. If using glass, drop the temperature to 325°F and add anywhere from 5-15 minutes to the baking time.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before icing and slicing for a bakery-quality appearance.
Storage & Make ahead
Storage: Store in an airtight container at a cool temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing: These are best served fresh, but you can freeze any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving. The glaze and strawberries won’t look quite as pretty after freezing, but they’ll still taste great.
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Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 cups (381 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 1 pint (16 oz / 400 grams) strawberries, trimmed and cut into quarters*
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the glaze:
- 3/4 cup (95 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a light-colored metal 8×8-inch baking pan** with parchment paper leaving an overhang.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the bowl down as needed.
- On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter. Mix until the flour is fully incorporated and a dough forms.
- Transfer two-thirds of the dough (about 625g) to the prepared baking pan. Using your hands, spread the dough out into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes (dough will not be fully baked yet).
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix quartered strawberries, granulated sugar, flour, and cornstarch together.
- Pour strawberry mixture over the slightly baked dough. Crumble the remaining one-third dough over the top.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown and strawberries are bubbling.
- Remove from oven and set on a wire rack until completely cool to the touch, about 1 hour.
- Whisk together powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla until smooth. Using a pastry bag or spoon, drizzle glaze over the top of the strawberry bars, and let set for 10 minutes.
- Cut into 9 large squares, or 16 small squares, and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
Photos by Joanie Simon.
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I made these using Splenda in place of granulated sugar and brown sugar Splenda blend in place of the brown sugar. They turned out beautifully! Thank you for the great directions that really helped make it work.
Wow!! I made these this afternoon and they were delicious!
These were so good! They looked exactly like the photo. I also added some crushed freeze dried strawberries on top for a pop of colour and it was such a gorgeous dessert. It’s definitely a keeper. Next time I will make in a 9” square tin though as they were very thick/tall and I’d like them a bit thinner
I bet those were beautiful with freeze-dried strawberries on top, great idea!
Looks so good! Wondering what you would recommend if I wanted to replace some of the strawberries with rhubarb – bit more sugar in the filling to compensate for the tartness? Thanks, can’t wait to try em 🙂
Hi Chloe! We haven’t tried using rhubarb in place of the strawberries, so I can’t say for sure what adjustments would be needed to the other ingredients. Let us know if you try it out!
This is the first bake I have ever found using strawberries that is a keeper! I used fresh local berries. My friends described the bars as a bougie strawberry pop tart and I forgot to add the glaze! So delicious with a side of vanilla ice cream. This recipe is so good that I got more fresh local berries to freeze so I can recreate off season. Easy to make- just follow the exact recipe. Thanks Tessa!
Ooo great comparison, love it! So happy to hear they were such a hit 🙂
I used 3 tablespoons of half and half and the exact amount (95gms) of powdered sugar and the glaze was far too thin. Perhaps I should have added the liquid more gradually to the right consistency rather than following the recipe as written? The cobbler came out perfect, however, but now has a too thin glaze. Live & learn
Hi Jennifer! If the glaze was too thin, try adding a little more powdered sugar next time until you reach your desired consistency. Glad you enjoyed the bars! 🙂
The strawberry cobbler bars look fabulous. I’d like to make a 9×13 pan instead. What proportion should I use? – double? 1 1/2 x ?
Hi Barbara, doubling the recipe should work perfectly in a 9×13 pan. Enjoy! 🙂