Hello! And thanks for stopping by! 😀 Happy to say, that it’s time for The Secret Recipe Club reveal for the month of July! Always such a fun and exciting day to share what we’ve all secretly made from each others’ blogs!

 

 

This month I was extra excited to be assigned to a wonderful blogger whom I’ve recently been getting to know! Michaela, of An Affair from the Heart, is a stay-at-home mom of 4 incredible kids, (one in college now, one just graduated from high school, and twins – – who are probably enjoying the extra attention at home now!), and married to the love of her life that share the same values as my husband and I do, too. If at all possible, stay at home while your kids are growing up. It’s just so important for a parent (or a Grandparent) to be there. And if that’s just not possible, at the least, everyone sit down to dinner together. FIRM believer in this, too! No TV, no iPhones, nothing but talking to each other and sharing your day’s adventures. (Though I was never able to have children of my own, that’s how I grew up and would have insisted on my children having the same experience). Hats off to you, Michaela, for knowing that kids need a parent to be there at all times. Kids can’t raise themselves.

Michaela is also a very talented crafter, and loves to entertain and throw parties! I bet she would be a wonderful caterer! (I did it for over 20 years and loved it! Hint to Michaela for when the nest is empty! 😉 )

I really enjoyed looking at her recipes, (drooling over each photo!), and it was, as usual, difficult to say the least to choose just one! Just some of the ones that had my heart were her recipes for Award-Winning Crack Dip, Broccoli Stuffed Mushrooms, Rueben Burger, Little King Salad, Watermelon Sorbet, and her Dreamsicle Martini!  All perfect for this time of year!

But once my hubby saw these Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb Bars, the tough decision was easily made! I am so thankful to have come across this recipe again, I can’t even tell you. I thought that they looked familiar, and as I was reading the recipe, I remembered them from years ago. These bars are a classic and if you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting them or made them, you’re now in luck! SAVE this recipe, and don’t lose it like I did!

They’re easy to make, but you might want to double the recipe as I did here. (The only change that I made.) My hubby and I both have a terrible sweet tooth, and I always like to further share with the neighbors. So, just an 8×8 pan, ha!, was definitely not going to be enough.

I remembered how good they were. 😉

You can actually use any canned pie filling that you like, but though I have tried others in the past, I remembered that the strawberry always tasted the best. So I do highly recommend that you try this flavor first, then play.

You simply start with your basic sweetened flour/butter crust, and press the fine crumbs nicely into your pan*. (*Line your pan with foil and spray it just so that it’s easier to cut later when you can remove the whole thing from your baking pan, same as you would brownies).

 

 

Sorry for the icky dark and yellow hues! I hope you can see ok. We were having a very nasty storm that day and the sky was almost as dark as night! Even the street lights came on!

Perfect day for baking, though! 😀

 

 

Then just mix up your filling and spread evenly over your crust.

 

 

Add your berries by small spoonfuls, leaving behind most of the “goop”….

 

 

…. then gently swirl into the filling.

 

 

Sprinkle the whole top with some of your reserved crust mixture, and bake! That’s all there is to it!

 

 

Just a few steps to pure heaven! Pop into the oven and….OMG….leave the room. Seriously. The aroma that wafts through the house will have you standing at the oven door with your little nose pressed to the glass. (That reminds me, I need to add Windex to the next shopping list…)

 

 

Aaaaand this is the hardest part….letting it cool. And NOT picking off a tiny crumb.

Not even in the far corner where no one would notice.

Ok. I did.

And I’m not ashamed.

 

 

Total success! Both the neighbors and my hubby all said, “It’s just like candy!”  😀

And yes, yes it is! To me, this has always been more of a strawberry cheesecake-type bar, but yes, very sweet like candy, and OH so good!! 😀

Seriously, if you’ve never had these, or have and are looking for a fun treat to take to a barbecue, (or the nearest closet all to yourself!), keep these classic bars in mind! They’re truly heavenly and a treat that’s not only very pretty, looks fantastic cut into bars and placed on a platter; but, transports easily, uses minimal ingredients, and is something that everyone will thoroughly enjoy!

Thanks to Sarah of The Secret Recipe Club for having me, Camilla for keeping us “Group B” peeps all taken care of and added to the blog hop, and to Michaela for bringing back such fond memories (and the recipe again!) for these incredibly delicious treats!

It was unanimous! Everyone LOVED them!! 😀

 

 

 

*Please be sure to pop over to Michaela’s blog, An Affair from the Heart,
to check out more of her recipes! You won’t want to miss out! 😉

Recipe adapted from An Affair from the Heart.

Strawberry Pie Sour Cream Crumb Bars | The Secret Recipe Club

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 sticks butter, melted and cooled to room temp
• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:

• 2 (20 - 21 oz.) cans strawberry pie filling, can substitute other fruit pie fillings
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Melt butter in microwave and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Line a 13" × 9" pan with foil sprayed with non-stick butter-flavored cooking spray.

For the Crust:

Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour in the melted butter, and mix making sure to completely incorporate the butter. Dough will be crumbly.

Reserve a 1/4 of the crust mixture, and press the other 3/4 firmly into the bottom of your pan. Set aside.

For the Filling:

In medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, eggs and vanilla.

Pour over the crust, level and smooth out over top with an offset knife.

Spoon strawberry filling over the top using mostly just the berries from the can, and gently swirl with the sour cream mixture. (Leave the excess goop in the bottom of the cans and throw away.)

Sprinkle with the remaining crust and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown. (Mine took 33 minutes.)

Cool on rack, then chill in the refrigerator, then cut and serve. (16 - 32 bars or squares).

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered, or in an airtight container.