How is everyone’s weekend going? We are having a nice Memorial Day Weekend, hanging out with my whole family at the beach house that my brother and sister-in-law rented for the weekend. I’m not mad about it at all! 
I had every intention of posting this recipe on Friday, so that you could get your ducks in a row to make it to enjoy over this holiday weekend. But this week has been all off kilter, getting home late Sunday night from our trip and playing catch-up ever since. Excuses, excuses, right?
Well, I figured better late than never, because these Strawberry Crumble Bars are perfect for any occasion all summer long! And perhaps, there might still be time to whip up a batch, because with a well-stocked pantry, the only thing you might need to run to the store for are fresh strawberries!
As you may have noticed, I have been on a major strawberry kick so far this spring. (Case in point: This Salad and This Jam). When it comes to dessert, I am usually ALLLL about chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, etc. As far as I am usually concerned, fruit is a nice snack or a side to go with breakfast. But there is something about the Official Unofficial Start to Summer that is Memorial Day Weekend that screams “berries!” Nothing says summer and America quite like bright red berries in sweet pie/crumble form.
The good news is that this recipe is gluten-free, super easy to put together, perfectly sweet and, well, crumbly. Although it doesn’t fit the criteria for a “Paleo” dessert, I still feel good about the ingredients and that it is a healthified version of what could be a total gut-bomb 🙂
The crust and the topping are, of course, made from the same “dough” because ain’t nobody got time to make 2 separate layers. The base and the crumble is very simple and just requires a bit of work to mix in the butter for that flakey, pie-like texture and taste.
Most of the sweetness comes from season-peak, ripe berries, but there is also some “real” sugar in there (a rarity around here) because it is a holiday dessert, after all!
I went the simple route by using just the strawberries, but you could definitely mix it up and use blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries as well. Perhaps we’ll go that direction come 4th of July for a little more color and variety!
But for now, here is the super simple, delectable dessert that just might need to make an appearance in your Memorial Day spread!
(Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)
Ingredients 
- 2 lbs fresh strawberries
- 3 Cups + 1 Tbsp Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3/4 Cup Cane Sugar, divided (1/4 + 1/2)
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar (could use brown sugar)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold butter (I use Kerrygold, grass-fed)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the strawberries. Give them a good rinse and shake out. Then, chop the tops off. Cut smaller berries in 1/2 and larger berries in 1/4. Place the chopped berries into a bowl. Preheat the oven to 375º.
- To the bowl, add 1 Tbsp of flour and 1/4 cup of white sugar. You can add more or less depending on how sweet the berries taste. These were plenty sweet on their own, so I went with less sugar. Mix well and set aside.
- In another large bowl, add the remaining 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cube the cold butter into small “chunks” and add them to the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla, then add to the dry ingredients and mix everything together.
- Using a pastry cutter or your fingers (like me!) mix/work the butter into the dry ingredients until it begins to resemble sand.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by rubbing butter around the edges or spraying with no-stick oil. Dish out about 1/2 of the mixture into the dish and press it down with your fingers into an even layer.
- Pour the strawberries over the top of the base and spread them evenly.
- Finally, squeeze handfuls of the crumble into clumps and place over the strawberries until there is an even topping over the berries.
- Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the berries are oozing with flavor and the crumble is a toasty brown.
- Allow the dish to cool completely before cutting into bars. They will soften and get even better as they cool, so feel free to bake ahead of time! (Although I DARE you to NOT try a forkful as they are cooling. I bet you can’t do it!)
The return on effort in this recipe is outrageous. They are a delicious summer treat that can be made in no time and the difficulty level is at about a 3 😉 
The bright and flavorful berries do most of the work, giving you amazing results that will impress your BBQ crowd. 
On Monday afternoon, after a day spent at the beach, we will be BBQing up tri-tip and veggies and definitely be devouring these bars for dessert. That is, if we haven’t eaten them all as we nibble away, bite by bite with a fork, straight out of the dish.
A simple, delicious summer dessert!
- 2 lbs fresh strawberries
- 3 Cups + 1 Tbsp Gluten Free All Purpose Flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 3/4 Cup Cane Sugar divided (1/4 + 1/2)
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar could use brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
-
Begin by preparing the strawberries. Give them a good rinse and shake out. Then, chop the tops off. Cut smaller berries in 1/2 and larger berries in 1/4. Place the chopped berries into a bowl. Preheat the oven to 375º.
-
To the bowl, add 1 Tbsp of flour and 1/4 cup of white sugar. You can add more or less depending on how sweet the berries taste. These were plenty sweet on their own, so I went with less sugar. Mix well and set aside.
-
In another large bowl, add the remaining 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
-
Cube the cold butter into small "chunks" and add them to the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla, then add to the dry ingredients and mix everything together.
-
Using a pastry cutter or your fingers (like me!) mix/work the butter into the dry ingredients until it begins to resemble sand.
-
Prepare a 9x13 baking dish by rubbing butter around the edges or spraying with no-stick oil. Dish out about 1/2 of the mixture into the dish and press it down with your fingers into an even layer.
-
Pour the strawberries over the top of the base and spread them evenly.
-
Finally, squeeze handfuls of the crumble into clumps and place over the strawberries until there is an even topping over the berries.
-
Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the berries are oozing with flavor and the crumble is a toasty brown.
-
Allow the dish to cool completely before cutting into bars. They will soften and get even better as they cool, so feel free to bake ahead of time!
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