Nothing screams summer like the combination of strawberries and lemonade, and who doesn’t love a frozen treat when it’s hot outside? This dessert comes together so easily, and is the perfect alternative when you want something other than ice cream, that’s a bit lighter and refreshing.
These Strawberry Lemonade Bars can be made ahead of time and just pulled from the freezer whenever you need to serve them. It will easily become your go to summer dessert!
One of the ingredients that make these bars so special is LorAnn’s Fresh Strawberry Flavor Fountain. The entire Flavor Fountain line is specifically made for frozen treats and they are the perfect addition to any frozen dairy recipes.
Ingredients you will need for this recipe:
- Strawberries – Fresh or frozen will both work for this recipe. If using frozen strawberries, be sure to defrost them completely before blending into a puree.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – This thick syrupy milk is the main sweetener for these frozen bars, as it helps to soften and give them an ice cream consistency.
- LorAnn’s Fresh Strawberry Flavor Fountain– This helps enhance the flavor of those perfectly ripe and juicy strawberries. The Flavor Fountain flavors can be used in anything from homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt to even milkshakes!
- Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed lemon juice is always best. Never use the bottled lemon juice, it’s too bitter and will alter the flavor of this recipe. I like to let my lemons get to room temperature before squeezing to help soften them and get the maximum amount of juice out of them.
- Lemonade Flavor -I used LorAnn’s Super Strength Lemonade Flavor in this recipe. This is a highly concentrated flavor, so a little goes a long way. Just a small amount transforms this dessert and gives it that sweet and tangy lemonade flavor.
- Heavy cream – The heavy cream is whipped to soft peaks for this recipe and is what gives the filling that light and creamy texture.
- Red Food Coloring – Just a tiny drop of LorAnn’s New Liquid Gel Food Color to make these bars that perfect shade of strawberry red.
- Graham Crackers – These are finely ground and used as the base for these bars.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter in all of my recipes, this way I have control over how much salt is being added.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Line the pan with parchment paper before pressing the crust into the pan. This will make it easy to remove the bars for cutting once they are frozen.
- Cool the crust completely before filling, even if the crust is slightly warm, it will start to melt the filling.
- Blend the strawberries until completely smooth. If using frozen berries, make sure to fully defrost them for easy blending. A high speed blender works best for this step.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks for the base, it will make it more difficult to fold the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture if the cream is whipped too firm peaks.
- Let the bars thaw about 5-10 minutes before cutting. This step helps the crust soften a bit, so it does not crack or fall apart while cutting into squares.
- Use a hot, clean knife when cutting the bars into squares. I like to run the knife under hot water and then dry it off in between cuts. Cutting a creamy dessert can get messy, and this little trick gets clean cuts every time.
Storage and Serving
These Strawberry Lemonade Bars will keep best in an airtight container in the freezer until they are ready to serve.
Defrost the bars a little bit right before serving. They will defrost very quickly, so only about 5 minutes is needed for this step.
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Bars
These Strawberry Lemonade Bars are light, refreshing, and so easy to make! Buttery graham crust with a tart and creamy strawberry lemon filling, these bars are the perfect frozen treat for those hot summer days.
Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons LorAnn Fresh Strawberry Flavor Fountain
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons LorAnn Super-Strength Lemonade Flavor
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium size bowl combine the graham crumbs with the melted butter, and press into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool while you prepare the filling.
- In a high speed blender, blend the strawberries until completely smooth.
- In a large bowl combine the strawberry purée, sweetened condensed milk, strawberry flavor fountain flavor, lemon juice, and lemonade flavoring. Whisk ingredients together until smooth.
- In a medium size bowl whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the strawberry mixture until fully incorporated.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, let the bars thaw for 5-10 minutes and cut into squares.