Strawberry Peach Basil Bars

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Strawberry Peach Basil Bars

Some ingredient combinations make people a bit skeptical when you mention them. But then, they bite into whatever it is you made and they completely forget about their doubts.

These bars definitelay have that reaction. I love basil in desserts (and cocktails), and I’ve had this combination before in these Strawberry Peach Basil Cupcakes. So, clearly, I had no doubt these bars would be amazing.

I actually started with this Blueberry Crumb Bar recipe, but I was multi-tasking while the ingredients were in the mixer, so the crumb mixture turned into a dough. No worries though, the bars still came out amazing. My favorite bites were the ones with a lot of basil and I decided the next time I make these, I’ll bump up the amount of basil in them.

One Year Ago: Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
Four Years Ago: Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Strawberry Peach Basil Bars

Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, cold
1 egg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

For the Filling:
3 cups peeled, diced peaches
2 cups diced strawberries
1/4 cup basil, chiffonaded
Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

For the Dough: In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon, if desired. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

For the Filling: In medium bowl, gently toss diced peaches and lemon juice together; set aside.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over the peaches and mix gently.

Spread the filling evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the filling layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Dough recipe from AllRecipes.com, filling adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and The First Kitchen

Bars and Brownies, Dessert

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20 Responses to “Pina Colada Cupcakes”

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1

Molly — March 31, 2011 at 4:37 pm

These are so adorable! A friend once made me margarita cupcakes for a birthday, but I love the sound of all the coconut.
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2

Flavia — March 31, 2011 at 4:40 pm

I love this cupcakes week!!!!! And even Pina-colada cupcakes…..ciao, Flavia
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3

Daisy — March 31, 2011 at 4:41 pm

these look incredible! I am LOVING cupcake week!
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4

Allisonpence — March 31, 2011 at 4:42 pm

These make me crave a warm summer day.
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5

Megan — March 31, 2011 at 4:51 pm

This sounds like a fun, summery cupcake recipe! Love it!
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6

Rachel Marcisin — March 31, 2011 at 5:32 pm

Mmm these look awesome! But where’s the rum?
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7

beantownbaker — March 31, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Tell me about it! I’m not excited about the rain/snow we’re supposed to get tonight and tomorrow.
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beantownbaker — March 31, 2011 at 5:44 pm

Good point! They have the flavors of a pina colada without the alcohol. If you wanted to add some rum, I’d throw it into the filling.
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9

FunandFearlessinBeantown — March 31, 2011 at 6:23 pm

I’d like one of these cupcakes along with a pina colada on the beach!
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10

Hezzi-D — March 31, 2011 at 8:03 pm

I’ve really been into “booze” cupcake lately and yours looks fantastic! Perfect for a luau or a summer pool party!
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11

Ann — March 31, 2011 at 8:56 pm

Those are truly beautiful cupcakes! I love Pina Coladas and I love cupcakes so…
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12

Nutmeg Nanny — March 31, 2011 at 9:14 pm

These are so beautiful! Eating one of these would bring me back to Hawaii 🙂
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13

beantownbaker — March 31, 2011 at 9:18 pm

Ooohhh Hawaii sounds awesome right about now. I’ve never been.
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14

Shannon — March 31, 2011 at 9:18 pm

oh my gosh, those look adorable, and i love the flavor combo, too!!
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15

Mary — April 1, 2011 at 7:53 am

Very nice! May I ask how you set the background for your cupcake pics? The solid colors really bring attention to the cupcakes themselves.
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16

beantownbaker — April 1, 2011 at 3:47 pm

For the majority of my cupcakes, I use a piece 12×12 scrap-booking paper for my backgrounds. I have a big stack of a variety of colors and patterns.
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17

Mary — April 1, 2011 at 4:13 pm

Thank you 🙂 .
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Audrey — April 2, 2011 at 12:21 pm

I love the garnishes on the top, they looke exactly like little poolside drinks. I have been wanting to try a cocktail-like cake since I went to “cupcake happy hour” at Kickass Cupcakes in Davis Square. Have you ever been there? Because if you haven’t you must go and try their mojito!
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19

beantownbaker — April 2, 2011 at 2:56 pm

I have been to Kickass before during the Cupcake Crawl I hosted a couple years ago. In fact, we even tasted the mojito cupcake while we were there.
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20

Paula Kelly-Bourque — April 3, 2011 at 2:50 pm

Such creative finishing touches to a perfectly delightful cupcake.

Strawberry Peach Basil Bars