Bright citrus meets sun-ripened berries in these golden crumble squares. Imagine a handheld treat that tastes like sipping a sparkling summer refresher. A buttery base mixed with caramel-kissed sugar supports a lush strawberry center, all crowned with a crunchy scatter of crumbs. Best part? The bottom and topping are crafted from one simple blend, keeping cleanup quick. A drizzle of tangy lemon icing seals the deal with extra zing.
Think of them as cheerful, fruity bites designed to lift your mood. Layered with crust, jammy filling, crumb shower, and glaze, these bars echo my other favorites—raspberry streusel squares, cherry slice bars, and even cranberry crumble treats. Bursting with seasonal brightness, they’re straightforward to prepare yet deliver a bold punch of flavor.
What I adore most here is the clever shortcut: the same dough creates both the firm foundation and the crumbly finish, just like those classic oat-citrus bars.
Bright Berry Citrus Squares:
- Feature a golden, tender, buttery base with a delicate crunch
- Packed with juicy, baked-down strawberry goodness
- Simple process, ready for baking in little time
- Delicious plain or topped with a zesty citrus drizzle
- Cut, share, snack, or store without fuss
- Extra delightful paired with a chilled glass of strawberry-honey refresher
What Goes Into Strawberry Lemon Crumble Squares
This dessert borrows ideas from a couple of my other fruit bar recipes but keeps things simple. No need to raid a specialty store — chances are, your cupboard already holds nearly everything
- Plain Flour: Acts as the structural base for both layers.
- Two Types of Sugar: A mix of white and brown sweeteners enhances flavor. I usually add brown sugar to the crust and topping, while the strawberry center gets regular granulated sugar. You can switch it up — all brown or all white works fine, with only a minor textural shift (brown gives softer crumbs, white makes them a little crispier).
- Leavening (Baking Powder): Helps prevent the base and topping from baking up too dense or heavy.
- Seasonings (Salt + Vanilla): These are small touches that elevate the overall taste.
- Chilled Butter: Essential for that shortbread-like, crumbly consistency. When butter is cut into the dry mixture cold, it creates light, flaky bits; using melted or soft butter would ruin the intended texture.
- Eggs: One whole egg plus an extra yolk help hold the dough together. Using two whole eggs is also fine if that’s easier. This dough is adaptable, so you can’t go too wrong.
- Strawberries: Either fresh berries or frozen ones will do.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the berry mixture so it doesn’t seep everywhere and instead becomes a jammy filling.
- Grated Lemon Peel: Instead of adding citrus juice, a touch of zest brings brightness without watering down the filling.
Chill, Chill, Chill
Ensure the butter is kept extremely chilled. Should it soften, it will dissolve before the dessert reaches the oven, leaving you with oily fruit mush instead of structured bars. Once that’s clear, fold in the remaining crumble base. Truthfully, the easiest way to combine the damp elements with the flour–fat blend is to dive in using your fingers. I spend ages struggling with spoons or spatulas.
Another note: avoid kneading too much, since your palms can warm the mixture. Keep everything frosty!
Spread roughly two-thirds of the prepared blend into a baking dish, saving the remainder for sprinkling across the berries as a crunchy layer.
Because these dessert squares bake up quite substantial, expect them to need about 45 to 50 minutes in the oven. The hardest part comes next: resisting the urge to cut into them right away. If sliced before they’re fully cooled, they’ll collapse into pieces even though they taste amazing warm. Hold off, let them firm up completely, and you’ll be rewarded with perfect bars.
Citrus Icing
For an extra burst of brightness, finish with a tangy citrus icing. Blend fresh lemon juice with powdered sugar for a quick, two-part topping. Stir until smooth, then pour lightly across the cooled squares.
This simple icing also works beautifully on fruity pastries like strawberry rolls!
Citrus Berry Oat Squares
- Creator: Nidhi
- Ready in: 20 mins
- Baking Duration: 45 mins
- Overall Duration: 3 hrs, 5 mins (chill included)
- Servings: 20–25 pieces
Overview
Zesty citrus-berry squares deliver a cheerful burst of flavor, layered with a golden base and crumble, ripe strawberry pieces, and a tangy-sweet drizzle of lemon icing.
What You’ll Need
- 3 measuring cups (approx. 375 g) plain wheat flour, carefully scooped and leveled
- 1 small spoon of baking powder
- ½ small spoon of fine salt
- 1 block (226 g / 16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled hard and diced into small cubes
- 1 whole chicken egg plus an extra yolk from another egg
- 1 filled cup (200 g) firmly pressed golden or dark brown sugar
- 2 tiny spoons of real vanilla flavoring
- 4 measuring cups (around 650 g) fresh strawberries, roughly cut into pieces
- ⅓ filled cup (about 67 g) white granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- Rind shavings from 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
Citrus Icing
- 1 glass (115g) powdered sweetener, strained
- 2 spoonfuls (28ml) squeezed lime extract
Kitchen Light Saver – stops display from dimming
Guide
Keep extra berry squares (frosted or plain) covered at room temp for a maximum of 48 hours, or chill them in the fridge for as long as 7 days.
Warm the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a rectangular baking dish (about 9 by 13 inches) with parchment, letting the paper hang over the edges so you can lift the dessert out once baked. Put aside.
Crust + Crumble Layer: In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, leavening powder, and a pinch of salt. Add chunks of cold butter, then work it into the dry mix using a pastry tool, forks, or a food processor until the texture looks like coarse pebbles. Plan on several minutes of mixing.
In another bowl, beat one whole egg, one yolk, brown sweetener, and vanilla. Pour this liquid blend into the dry mixture and stir until it becomes damp crumbs. Using your hands helps it hold together better than a spoon.
You should have roughly six cups of this blend. Save two cups for the topping. Spread the rest into the prepared pan and press firmly to form a base layer. Some crumbs will stay loose—don’t worry.
Fruit Filling: Toss together chopped strawberries, white sugar, cornstarch, and a little grated lemon peel. Spread this evenly on top of the crust. Scatter the reserved crumb mixture over the fruit, pressing gently to keep it in place.
Bake 45–50 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. Move the pan to a cooling rack and let it come to room temperature (refrigeration will quicken the process).
Glaze + Serving: Stir together the icing ingredients until smooth, then drizzle across the entire slab or over each individual square. Lift the set bars out of the pan using the parchment handles and slice into portions.