Strawberry Shortcake Bars

Source: Mel, the champion

Ingredients:
for the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick oatmeal
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
14 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons shy of 2 sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes

for the filling:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg

for the strawberry topping:
2 pounds diced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease (the foil makes for easier cleanup but you can leave it out and just grease the pan - which is exactly what I'll do next time since I kept cutting the foil and it made sort of a mess).

For the crust, in a large bowl combine the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg. Toss in the cubed butter and cut it into the dry mixture using a pastry blender or two knives or just your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and set it aside for later.

Press the rest of the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.

While the crust bakes, make the filling by whisking together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar (you can use the same bowl as the crust without washing it out if you want to save a dish). Make a well in the center and pour in the butter and egg. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth and combined - it will be pretty thick.

Crumble this mixture over the warm crust and pat into a relatively even layer (doesn't have to be perfect).

In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and vanilla. Spread evenly over the filling and sprinkle the reserved streusel/crust mixture over the top.

Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes until they are just lightly golden around the edges and the center is no longer soft/jiggly.

Cool completely in the pan. Cut into bars and serve. Store the bars in the refrigerator if not serving within an hour or two (I like to let them sit at room temperature out of the fridge for 20-30 minutes to take the chill off).

Notes:
I saw this posted the week of the Fourth of July and thought it looked so patriotic and delicious that I knew it would be just the thing to take to my parents' big fireworks shindig the night before.  They were pretty quick to whip up and smelled amazing as they cooled in the car on our drive to Logan.  They were really delicious to eat, as well!  Gregg and I liked that you could really taste the strawberries - they weren't overly sweet or rich (even with nearly 3 sticks of butter!) - just fruity and wonderful.  I would love to experiment with other fruits (I read in the comments on Mel's blog people were going to try blueberries and plums).  I bet any berries or a mixture would be fabulous!