What a fantastic holiday weekend! It was the perfect kick-off to summer. I went on long walks through the city, checked out a new favorite cafe, toured two Virginia vineyards, shared a backyard BBQ with friends, ate an incredible meal at Bandolero with my brothers, got a nice little tan, and hit up a stocked farmer’s market. Seriously, could it have been any better?

Along with a great assortment of veggies, I also picked up my first batch of strawberries at the farmer’s market. My first inclination was to make my favorite strawberry cupcakes with them, but I wanted to try something new. Don’t worry, I’ll make those cupcakes again very soon! I remembered a peach shortbread recipe that I made last summer and thought that it would be a perfect treat to go with this hot, festive, summer weekend.

I also added a thin layer of raspberry jam to these bars to make them a little more gooey. You could add any flavor of jam or use any kind of fruit for these though. It’s a super easy recipe too… have fun with it!

Strawberry Shortbread

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) semi-softened unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• Raspberry jam
• 1 carton/quart of strawberries, sliced in half

1. Preheat oven to 375° and spray an 8″x8″ pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a large bowl combine sugar, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. (I use my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, which I keep in the freezer. Although you could definitely mix the shortbread with your hands.)
3. Add the butter and egg into the mixture and combine to create a crumbly mix.
4. Press 3/4 of crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam over the crumbs. Tile strawberries over the jam. Finish by sprinkling the remaining 1/4 of the crumbs on top.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool before slicing into bars.