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5 from 2 votes

Strawberry Shortcake Bars

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Strawberry Shortcake Bars
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Strawberry Sauce

  • 4 cups strawberries sliced
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. butter sliced in small pieces

Cookie Layers

  • 2/3 cup butter softened
  • 2/3 cup shortening
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

Sweetened Whipped Cream

  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • + 2 cups sliced strawberries and maybe a few more to add on top

Instructions

Strawberry Sauce

  • Puree the strawberries until smooth.  In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch and then stir in the pureed strawberries.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Stir in lemon juice and butter and then remove from heat.  Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 2 hours before using.

Cookie Layer

  • Beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add the sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined and then beat in the eggs and vanilla until well mixed.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer and then stir any remaining flour in by hand.  Divide the dough into fourths.

Whipped Cream

  • In a chilled mixing bowl, beat cream and sugar together until soft peaks form.  Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can also just use Cool Whip if you prefer.
  • Grease a 9X9 inch baking pan.  Line with parchment paper and pat in a quarter of the dough until it is evenly spread across the bottom.  Bake 10-12 minutes at 375.  Cool in pan for a few minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.  Once pan is cool, make two more identical layers.  For the fourth layer, make sure that your parchment paper extends up on two sides of the pan so that you easily remove the bars once they are all assembled. Don't remove the fourth layer from the pan once it is baked. Note: If you have more than one 9X9 pan, you can make multiple layers at the same time to speed up the process.
  • To assemble the shortcake bars:
  • Spoon half of the strawberry sauce on the sugar cookie layer that is still in the pan. Add another cookie layer, half of the whipped cream and 2 cups of the sliced strawberries. Add another cookie, remaining strawberry sauce, and remaining cookie. If necessary, gently press cookie layers down. Cover and chill cookie bars and remaining whipped cream overnight. Add a dollop of the remaining whipped cream on top of each bar right before serving.