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Strawberry shortcake square topped with whipping cream and sliced strawberries.
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4.75 from 4 votes

Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Bars

These Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Bars combine a rich, buttery shortbread base, a fluffy vanilla cream and fresh summer strawberries into a heavenly summer dessert.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Canadian
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 330kcal
Author: Myra

Ingredients

For Base

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar

For Filling

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream (my container was actually 473 ml - close enough)
  • 1/2 pkg cream cheese 1/2 cup or 125 g
  • 3/4 cup icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp vanilla

For Strawberries

  • 1.5-2 cups fresh strawberries other berries would also be delicious

Instructions

For Base

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  • This step is optional: If you plan to use an 8X8 baking dish and want to lift your bars out of the dish so you can cut them in neatly, you'll have to line it with parchment paper. Cut two strips of parchment paper the width of the dish and layer them opposite to each other with the ends hanging out (to give you handles to lift with later). I don't think you could do this with a 9X13 because it would be too big. Don't overlook a pretty tart pan for this recipe either though.
  • Melt butter in microwave. In a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour with 1/4 cup of sugar. Add melted butter and stir until combined.
  • Press about 90% of the shortbread base into the bottom of your pan. Then use an empty pie plate or other kind of baking dish to put the rest for the crumbly topping. (Feel free to skip this step if you don't want the topping and just use all the shortbread for the base.)
  • Bake both dishes (if you're making the topping too) in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. If you're using a 9X13 pan it will probably be more like 8 minutes but for a 8X8 pan it took 10 minutes. When you check on it you're just looking for the tiniest hint of light browning around the edges - then you'll know it's done. You might need to bake the topping an extra minute or so to firm it up a little more. When it's done, remove it from the oven and cool completely.

For filling

  • Meanwhile, whip heavy cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
  • In a separate large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat softened cream cheese until very creamy. Add icing sugar and vanilla. Mix until creamy and well-combined.
  • Add a large scoop of the whipped cream and use the hand mixer to beat it into the cream cheese filling.
  • Then fold the rest of the whipped cream in, trying not to crush its fluffiness.
  • Spread filling over baked and cooled base and refrigerate to let it set a bit - at least 30 minutes. After it's set you can use the parchment paper handles to lift it out of the pan if you're using this method (or just leave it in the dish if you're not).

For Strawberries

  • Meanwhile, rinse strawberries and pat them dry. Slice them for the topping.
  • Spread sliced strawberries over chilled filling. If you use a bigger pan you might end up doing more of a scattering.
  • Remember the topping we made earlier? It should be cool now. Use a fork to break it up into pieces (remember that this photo has way more topping in it than you'll need).
  • Use your hands to crumble the topping over the berries. Cut and serve.
  • Enjoy! :)

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 76mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 885IU | Vitamin C: 8.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.8mg