Lemon Strawberry Bars with Lemon Glaze

I am not a huge lemon bar person. Sure I'll have one or two a year, but when it comes to dessert, I'd rather have carrot cake or something chocolaty. Heck, give me a huge spoonful of peanut butter and I'm a happy girl! But for some reason lately I've been craving a good lemon dessert. Maybe it's the fact that it's spring, or that Mother's Day was last weekend. Whatever the reason, I've had a lemon bar-sized hole in my belly lately.

And I was going to fill it with just lemon bars, honest! But strawberry season is in full swing, or at least around here it is. Or at least it was this weekend at my farmer's market. Hello big beautiful juicy strawberries!

These cake like bars are not as gooey as regular lemon bars. They're not as dense as a brownie or as hard as a cookie. Nope, they're kind of pillowy, with a big ZING from the tart lemon glaze. Do you know what I mean? That zing that makes the sides of your mouth water? Then it is promptly dialed down by the amazing strawberry flavor running through out. If you ask me, these bars are kind of.....

PERFECT.

Forget what I said earlier. I guess I am a big lemon bar person.

Lemon Strawberry Bars with Lemon Glaze 
     makes 16 bars
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 eggs
1 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C diced fresh strawberries

Glaze
1/2 C powdered sugar
1-2 T lemon juice
Lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8x8 or 7x11 baking dish and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together in mixer, using paddle attachment. Add eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix in. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt, then add to mixing bowl. Mix on medium, stop to scrape down the sides and mix again until everything is combined. Fold in diced strawberries with spatula. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

Cool completely. For the glaze, in a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the powdered sugar and the lemon juice. Stir in the lemon zest and pour over completely cooled bars. Wait for glaze to harden and cut into bars.

These would be a great Mother's Day or Easter dessert. They would also be lovely to serve at a brunch or shower.

Need some more lemon in your life? Check out my whole wheat lemon poppy seed muffins!
Or just make these. Yeah, you can't go wrong with these.