If Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, then peony season is definitely the second most wonderful time of the year, but strawberry picking season gets a spot at the podium for third most wonderful time of the year.
Last year we skipped the farm because, well, global pandemic, but this year WE WERE BACK, BABY.
We had fun picking, and the five finger freebies were minimal.
Even the slugs can’t resist a juicy berry. Baaaaaarrrrrrrf.
So what did we decide to do with all our berries? Besides eating fistfuls just plain (seriously, no better fruit on earth than a freshly picked strawberry), the kids begged me to make a strawberry cake. After I did that, I still had plenty of berries, so I decided to make a healthier type of sweet snack for them. These use pantry staples and come together pretty darn quickly. They’re high in fiber (thank you oats, flour, and berries) too.
PB & Strawberry Bars
1 cup oats
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoons white sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and peanut butter. This is your upper body strength workout for the day. Line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick baking spray. Gently pour half to 2/3rds of the oat mixture in the pan and press press press press press. You got it? Next layer your strawberries, give them a little sprinkle of the corn starch (this will help absorb the juices and keep the bars from getting mushy), then top off with the sprinkling of sugar, then sprinkle on the remaining oat crumble mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, then let cool to room temperature, then pop in the fridge until chilled.
These are an excellent snack for anyone- I cut them into 16 pieces because it drives me nuts when bar recipes call for itty bitty pieces. Per square: 103 calories, 16 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 15 mg sodium, and 6 g sugar.
‘Til next year, berry farm.