I had a craving for something chocolatey and sweet the other day, and these Chocolate Strawberry Shortbread Bars, I discovered, were exactly what my sweet tooth was asking for.
There is a layer of chocolate shortbread in this recipe, and a layer of regular shortbread, and then all of this shortbready goodness is topped off by a layer of gooey strawberry jelly. Cookies just don't get any better than this.
I add the strawberry preserves to the shortbread in the last few minutes of baking, to keep them a little gooey and also to preserve the gorgeous red color and retain the freshness. Baking the preserves too long would turn them rather black and they wouldn't look so pretty. The layers of shortbread themselves are very mildly sweet, and that's good because the strawberry preserves add another layer of sweetness to the cookie.
I used to use vegan butter like Earth Balance for my shortbread, and sometimes transfat-free vegetable shortening, but now I almost always go with coconut oil, after trying it for the first time in my Vegan Coconut Shortbread which I shared a while back. Coconut oil is not just good for you, but it also gives the bars a mild, coconutty flavor which I love. If you'd rather not have the coconut flavor, use any vegetable oil and it should be fine.
It's turned beautiful here in the Northeast right now. There are huge red poppies in the yard, along with paper-pink rhododendrons, lush peonies, and purple irises. The sky's a perfect blue with fluffy white clouds, and the temperatures are mild and temperate. I can't think of a better way to go into the long weekend. Especially now that I have these bars to keep me company.
Have a great long weekend, friends, and may the sun shine on you.
More vegan strawberry desserts
- Chocolate Berry Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Bread
- Vegan Strawberry Pie. Red. Delicious.
- Vegan Peach Berry Pie
- Vegan Strawberry Scones
More vegan cookie recipes
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Pecan Pie Bars, gluten-free, no corn syrup
- Chocolate Coconut Cookie Bars, vegan, gluten-free
- Saffron Cheesecake Bars
- Vegan Cardamom Sugar Cookies with Mango Icing
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Bars
Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup strawberry preserves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips along with the coffee and ¼ cup of the coconut oil
- When the chocolate is nice and smooth, remove the bowl and add ½ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix.
- Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture and mix thoroughly. The dough should come together. If it's too crumbly, add a few sprinkles of water until it holds together.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch or 8-inch square baking pan.
- Place the dough in the center and, using your fingers, press out the dough into an even layer, going all the way to the corners. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix the remaining coconut oil with the remaining powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Add the remaining 1 cup of flour and mix thoroughly. Again, add a few sprinkles of water if the dough is too crumbly. You want it to just hold together.
- Put pieces of the dough on top of the layer of chocolate dough and again press into an even layer using your fingertips.
- Bake the shortbread in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the shortbread, spoon over the strawberry preserves and spread in an even layer, then return the pan to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Remove to a rack and using a sharp knife, score the shortbread to make bars. I make three scores horizontally and three vertically to make 16 bars. You can make them bigger or smaller.
- Cool the shortbread thoroughly on the rack, and when it's cool, use the knife to separate into squares.
dan soh
Hi, can I check if this can be made without the coffee?
Vaishali
Hi Dan, yes, you can just leave the coffee out. It is just for intensifying the chocolate flavor-- you don't really need it.
dan soh
Thanks
huntfortheverybest
they look delicious!
kurinji
Wow colorful and tempting bars...
Vaishali
Thanks!
mary
Hi V. These bars are a vision. Too pretty to eat, but I will get over it. I pick my own strawberries every June and make lots of jam. I can't even bring myself to buy a store brand after eating homemade. Not only am I a vegan, but I am the cheapest thing that ever walked. That's why I love your recipes. They are so budget friendly. If you lived in Toronto, I would give some homemade jam, just cuz. Had the avocado pasta last night again, and this time I put in the chili flakes. So good. Had a glass of white wine with it,and it went together beautifully. I left the chili flakes out the last time because my grandsons had some too. Have a great weekend, and thanks for the recipe. Looks deelish.
Vaishali
Hi Mary, how lovely that you make your own jam! I love making jam too, but often find myself buying readymade for lack of time. The few times I've done it, the result is so much better than anything storebought, not to mention healthier. I must make jam this summer-- thanks for the inspiration. And yes, I like making simple recipes without too many fancy ingredients because they have to be accessible, not just to me but to everyone else who tries them. And frugality and simple living are ideals for me too -- ones I am perhaps not too good at practicing right now, but ones I aspire to.
Glad you liked the avocado pasta. And you have a great weekend too! Hugs. 🙂