Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread
Proving that shortbread doesn’t have to be boring with these delicious strawberry pop tart bars! Thick and buttery shortbread is baked with a layer of strawberry preserves in the center and is then topped with icing and sprinkles. It’s like the grown up version of a pop tart (and tastes better than one too!). The richness of the shortbread pairs perfectly with the jammy and tart strawberries. Each slice just melts in your mouth!
How to make buttery strawberry pop tart bars
When developing this recipe, I was inspired by Scottish shortbread. It’s typically more rich, dense, and thick compared to regular shortbread due to its high fat content. In other words, it’s just better.
So for this recipe, I made sure to up the butter and bake these bars low and slow. By doing so, you’re left with a dense but buttery tender shortbread bar that just melts in your mouth.
Another ingredient I used to boost the richness of these bars is almond flour. By swapping out some of the regular flour with almond flour, I’ve decreased the absorbency of the dry ingredients. Almond flour does not absorb as much liquid as regular flour, so these bars are able to remain extra buttery but with a dense and closed texture.
Tips for making shortbread dough
- Properly measure the flour – I say this in every post, and for good reason. It’s the number one reason why most recipes fail, especially for cookie dough. If there’s too much flour, this shortbread will turn out dry and crumbly. If you can, measure the flour with a food scale. Otherwise, to ensure you use the exact amount needed, gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level if off with a flat edge. If you scoop directly into the flour container, it packs it down into the cup which could leave you with 1/4 cup or more of added flour.
- Softened butter – Before you start, make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. This will create a smooth shortbread dough that bakes into a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture. Alternatively, you can pop the butter bars in the microwave and heat in 5 second intervals, turning the bars between each time. Be careful not to overdo it as you don’t want MELTED butter. Then, place just the butter in the mixing bowl and mix on high speed until smooth.
- Powdered sugar – This is the secret to a buttery shortbread. Powdered sugar blends seamlessly into the dough, creating a soft texture. I don’t recommend replacing this with any other sugar as the outcome will be very different.
- Mixing – After adding the flour, gently mix together the dough. Over mixing will create a tough shortbread.
How to layer strawberry shortbread pop tart bars
The one and only tricky part of this recipe is sandwiching the strawberry preserves between two layers of shortbread dough, especially because the dough is soft and sticky. It requires some slight arts and crafts, but works like a charm!
First, take a sheet of wax paper and place it under your baking dish. Trace the outline of the dish onto the wax paper using a marker. Then flip over the sheet (to conceal the marker) and set it aside.
Then, spread half of the shortbread dough into a prepped square baking dish. Spread the preserves on top and place into the refrigerator.
TIP: Chill the preserves overnight. This will thicken the preserves and prevent it from running out of the sides of the shortbread.
Now back to that sheet of wax paper. Scoop the remaining shortbread dough into the center of the square and spread it even to fill that entire square. It can be a bit tricky, so I recommend holding the paper opposite the side you are spreading to prevent the sheet from moving around.
Once smooth, quickly flip the sheet of wax paper overtop the second half of the dough inside the pan. Peel back the paper and voila! Your strawberry shortbread is now sandwiched. Gently smooth out the edges and it’s ready to bake.
The most important step in this recipe
Once the bars are baked, it’s VERY important to let them chill for at least 2 hours. If you dig in right away, they’ll fall apart and turn into a buttery mess.
It’s the same reason why you must let brownies cool before slicing. When chilled, the butter will solidify giving you a dense but soft texture. So if your shortbread come out of the oven looking TOO buttery, don’t worry. Chilling will completely set these bars.
Strawberry pop tart shortbread filling options
To stick with the strawberry pop tart theme, I opted for strawberry preserves in this recipe. I recommend preserves because they’re thick and flavorful. Alternatively, you can use any flavor preserves you like.
You can also use jelly if you like, but jam will be a bit too thin for this recipe. Whichever you choose, make sure it’s thick enough and doesn’t slip and slide around inside of the jar.
How to store strawberry pop tart bars
Keep the shortbread in the refrigerator in an air tight container. It will keep for up to 5 days.
For more strawberry dessert recipes, check out my:
- Strawberry Pretzel Dessert Tart
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Roasted Strawberry Cupcakes
- Fresh Strawberry Sheet Cake
- Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Or try my Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart Shortbread!
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make these Strawberry Pop Tart Bars. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make these strawberry pop tart bars:
Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread
- Total Time: 1 hour + 2 hours chilling
- Yield: 15 bars
Description
This buttery shortbread makes the most delicious strawberry pop tart bars! Shortbread is baked with a layer of sweet and tart strawberry preserves in the center and topped with vanilla icing.
Ingredients
Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (100g) almond flour*
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 1/2 cups (170g) powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup (230g) strawberry preserves, chilled in the refrigerator overnight
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread
- Preheat the oven to 325F and coat a square 8×8 dish with nonstick spray and line all 4 sides with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the edges of the pan for easy release. Trace the outline of the pan on a sheet of wax paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt, almond flour, and flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Start on a low speed then slowly work your way up to prevent the sugar from flying out of the bowl.
- Once smooth and fluffy, mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Next, add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The consistency should be similar to mashed potatoes.
- Scoop half of the dough into the prepared baking pan and spread it even. I recommend using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it as even as possible.
- Spread the preserves on top of the shortbread and place it in the refrigerator.
- With the other half of the dough, spread it onto the sheet of wax paper that we outlined earlier. Spread it to fit the square as best as possible.
- Take the pan out of the refrigerator and carefully flip the sheet of shortbread on top of the strawberry layer. Pull the paper back and gently spread the edges even.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are a pale golden brown.
- Let the shortbread rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill uncovered for at least 2 hours. Do not dig into the shortbread too early as it will not be set.
Icing
- Once chilled and set, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar and heavy cream. It should be the consistency of glue. If it’s too thick, mix in a tiny bit of water until it reaches the right consistency.
- Lift the shortbread out of the pan and drizzle the icing on top. Add the rainbow sprinkles and place the shortbread in the freezer for 20 minutes to allow the icing to set. Now slice and enjoy!
Notes
ALMOND FLOUR – Although I highly recommend sticking with almond flour, the only other substitute for this would be oat flour. You can make your own by grinding oats in a food processor. Do not swap with regular all purpose flour as this will make the bars too dry.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Join Our Community
Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
It came out amazing highly recommend
OMG delicious!!! Better than pop tarts!!
THIS WAS AMAZING. I’ve made both the brown sugar one and this one and although both incredible, this one is perfection. I will definitely be making this again.
Oh my goodness these were delicious!! The texture of the shortbread is to die for. These are very very sweet though, I couldn’t take more than one or two bites at a time. My only complaint is once they are cut into individual bars the strawberry preserves began leaking out the sides a bit. But still so tasty and a fun play on a frosted pop tart. You have to make these!
Re: Strawberry Pop Tart Shortbread
Thank you for sharing your delicious looking recipes. Do you have any suggestions for me to make these gluten free?
10/10 These were amazing! Surprisingly easier than I expected. I didn’t have sprinkles on hand so I left them out but they were still perfect. Thank you for the recipe !(:
I made these a couple of days ago with raspberry jam. The shortbread part is delicious. 5 stars for sure. However, the icing did not set despite following the directions. My advice is to only add as much cream as needed. I would make this again but I would just add a little bit of cream at a time.
I made both the cinnamon and this flavor. I prefer this one. We’ll balanced and yummy. Simple to follow instructions.
There should be a 10-star rating!!! You are an amazingly creative and smart baker!! I’m so glad I found you on Instagram! I won’t bake anyone else’s recipes! I have learned so much from you! Thank you, Jenna! I made the cinnamon adult pop tarts before and they were outstanding! These will certainly not disappoint!
These are delicious! I have now tried both of your poptart bars and I love both recipes! I would love a chcolate poptart bar next!