Gluten-free strawberry and blueberry bars

If I tell you it's impossible to eat just one of these gluten-free red fruit bars, you must believe me. They're an absolute hit at home! I don't know which we like more: the butter cookie dough, or its exquisite raspberry, strawberry and blueberry filling. You leave the plate with the bars on the table and in less time than it takes me to turn around, several little heads peek through the kitchen door, drawn by the unmistakable aroma of this treat.

Not only are they incredibly tasty and perfect for snack time, breakfast or as a wonderful dessert, but they have two virtues I adore in any recipe: they are very easy to make and you can adapt them to your taste without any concern. Starting with the flours, moving on to the sugar and ending with the filling, you can use the ingredients you like best or change them as you prefer or depending on what you have in the pantry, the fridge or the freezer.

As you can see, I couldn't make it easier for you to make them. I know that as soon as you try them, you'll want to make different versions, because not only are they a delight you can easily confess to, but they become a wonderful dessert with just a spoonful of lightly whipped cream on top. Or without cream!

Here is the recipe for these Gluten-Free Red Fruit Bars. I hope you try them, enjoy them and make versions to your liking.

Ingredients

For the butter cookie base and crumble:

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten-free pastry flour

For the red fruit filling:

• 1 and a half cups strawberries, halved or quartered (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preparation

1. Line the Naturals® Collection 20 x 20 square pan from Nordic Ware with parchment paper. Let the paper overhang, as this will make it very easy to unmold.
2. Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
   
3. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and, using a silicone spatula, mix well until the two ingredients are integrated. Doing it this way will prevent air from entering the mixture. You can also do this with your KitchenAid stand mixer, using the flat beater or the flex edge beater.
   
4. Add the vanilla extract, mix a little with the spatula and immediately add the flour and stir until you see clumps starting to form.
   
5. From that moment, knead with your hands until the result is a dry, crumbly dough, like sand.
6. Now place 3/4 of the dough in the pan and reserve the rest. Press the dough into the pan to compact it, smooth it to form an even layer and set aside.
   
7. In a medium bowl, put the chopped strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla extract and cornstarch, and gently stir to combine everything. You can use fresh or frozen fruit (without thawing, as is).
8. Immediately pour the filling mixture into the pan over the dough.
   
9. And now the final touch: scatter the reserved 1/4 of the dough over the filling, breaking up the larger clumps so that the filling is covered by a thin, even layer.
   
10. Bake at 190 °C until the topping is golden and the red fruit filling is visibly bubbling. If you used fresh fruit, the time will be about 50–55 minutes. If the fruit is frozen, it will take a few more minutes, between 60 and 65.
11. Place the pan on a rack and let cool completely before unmolding and cutting. You can cut into squares or into slightly longer, narrower bars, but not too much so they don't break.
12. And now the moment of truth: tasting. Serve the bars with lightly whipped cream, a bit of custard sauce or a scoop of your favorite ice cream. Ready!

Things you'll like to know

• As I mentioned at the beginning, this recipe is totally adaptable to your taste. You can use any flour you want, with or without gluten, or whatever you have at home; you can also use nut flours, or combine them.
  
• The same goes for sugar. Although the recipe indicates white sugar, you can use brown sugar, panela, coconut sugar or dates, for example.
• Flavor it to your liking. Today I used vanilla, but I'm sure that adding a little cinnamon or just cinnamon will be wonderful. Or with orange or tangerine zest. Spectacular!
• And with the filling, exactly the same. Use a single fruit, whether strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, or combine them as you like with other options.