Top 5 Strawberry Recipes

About once a year our local farmer’s market has flats of strawberries for sale at a very good price, last weekend we found flats for 12.99 which works out to be about $1 a pint. I was tempted to get two but since Strawberries have a relatively short shelf life I settled for one. Here are my Top 5 strawberry recipes to use them all up before they go bad.

Top 5 Strawberry Recipes

Strawberry & White Chocolate Granola Bars

My children love granola bars but the prepackaged ones are expensive and it can be difficult to find a variety that my children enjoy. To fix this problem I learned how to make homemade granola. Homemade granola is fast, simple and cheap to make, even better you can easily customize the recipe to include any type of fruits and nuts that you want.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Rolled Oats
• 2 Cups Coconut Flakes
• 2/3 Cup Peanut Butter
• 2/3 Cup Honey
• 1/2 Cup slivered Almonds (or any nut/seed)
• 1/2 Cup White Chocolate chips
• 1/2 Pint medium strawberries cored and sliced

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large cake pan or baking sheet with non-stick foil or paper
2.  Mix Coconut & Oats together and spread out on a separate baking sheet.
3. Bake the Coconut & Oat mixture until lightly golden brown, about 10-15 minutes is usually enough.
4. While the oats and coconut mixture is toasting, measure out the peanut butter and honey, pour into a saucepan and slowly heat over medium-low until the mixture is thoroughly mixed and melted together. Stir regularly to prevent any burning.
5. Remove Oats & Coconut from oven and pour into a large bowl, add the melted honey and peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Quickly add whatever additives you are using and mix well.
6. Spread the mixture into the pre-prepared cake pan and smooth out until the mixture is of equal thickness.
7. Using a knife or pizza cutter carefully score the mixture into equal bar shapes. Although some people wait to try and cut the bars after cooling I found this to be more difficult than doing so now. After cooling the bars are prone to breaking and crumbling when trying to cut them.
8. Put the tray in the fridge and let cool. Your granola bars will be ready for eating within an hour. I generally wrap them individually in saran wrap and store in the fridge.

Fresh Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcakes are a family favorite in this house.I used to buy canned whip cream and those little dessert shells in order to make it. After playing around with this recipe that I received from a family member, I don’t think I will ever buy either of those again.

Ingredients

Shortcake

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening or butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 Cup Milk
• 2 tsp vanilla Extract
• 2 cups flour (All purpose)
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Whipped Cream

• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream

Topping

• 2 pints strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees and grease a square cake pan (9 in)
2. In a large mixing bowl use a form to mix the shortening and sugar together until you get a crumbly blend.
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. Beat together Egg and Vanilla then add to the shortening/sugar mixture.
5.  Add half the milk and half the dry ingredients to the shortening/sugar mix and beat until well combined. Add the remainder of the milk and flour mixture and mix well. The batter will be thick.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. Remove cake and allow it to cool
8. While your cake is cooling remove the tops from your strawberries and cut them into small chunks.
9. Pour the sugar into the strawberries and use a fork to mix until the strawberries release their juices and the sugar is dissolved.
10. Place the strawberry mixture into the fridge until ready to use.
11. In a separate bowl add the heavy whipping cream and sugar.
12. Use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat the whipping cream until still peaks form
13. Assemble the shortcake with layers of cake, whipped cream & Strawberries to your liking.

Strawberry topped Pannacotta

Panna Cotta is a very rich dessert. Although most people tend to mold it I usually just keep it in the dish. Much less hassle and it tastes just as good!

Ingredients

Pannacotta

• 4 tsp unflavoured powdered Gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 Cup milk
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Small pinch of salt

Topping

• 2 pints strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar

Directions

1. Pour your milk into a medium saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over top.
2. Let the gelatin soften for around 5 minutes or until the top of the milk looks kind of wrinkly.
3. Turn the heat on low and whisk the mixture slowly until the gelatin dissolves. Be careful not to let the milk get too hot, it should be warm but not simmering. You can tell if the gelatin has dissolved by dipping a spoon into the mixture and then rubbing your finger over the residue on the spoon. If it feels grainy then it needs more time, if it’s smooth then you can move on to the next step.
4. Add the sugar and continue to stir until dissolved. Continue to keep the milk from getting too hot.
5. Once the sugar has dissolved add in the Whipping Cream, Vanilla & Salt. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk briefly to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into Ramekins, or fancy cups..or just cereal bowls if you want and put in the fridge to set. It will take several hours for the pannacotta to set properly. It will be soft set in 2 1/2 to 3 and firmer by 4.
7. While your pannacotta is setting remove the tops from your strawberries and cut them into small chunks.
8. Pour the sugar into the strawberries and use a fork to mix until the strawberries release their juices and the sugar is dissolved.
9. Place the strawberry mixture into the fridge until ready to use.
10. When you are ready to enjoy your desert pour the strawberry mixture over the top and dig in!

Homemade Strawberry Jam

I’m not sure there is anything better in the spring than fresh strawberry jam. I would much rather eat this homemade jam than the kind from the store filled with preservatives and other ingredients any day.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Pints Fresh Strawberries
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Cups Sugar

Directions

1. Place a small saucer in your freezer to chill
2.  Prepare the strawberries by washing, cutting off the tops and chopping into small chunks
3. Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat until well mixed and the sugar starts to break down.
4. When the lemon juice and sugar are well mixed and look’s wet and slightly melted add the strawberries, Stir well.
5. Continue to stir until the strawberry’s juices are well-released if you have made the strawberry chunks too large I find a potato masher works well to break them down.
6. Allow the mixture to simmer over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning until it starts to thicken slightly. This step can take some time and it is important to be patient.
7. Check your progress after 20 minutes and then every 5 to 10 minutes after that by removing your chilled saucer from the freezer and dropping a small amount of the jam mixture onto it. Your jam is ready when the mixture gels after cooling on the saucer. If your jam is not gelling and you feel you have waited long enough you can try adding a touch more lemon juice, but it is most likely that you just have to be a touch more patient.
8. Once the jam has reached a consistency you are happy with pouring it carefully into sterile canning jars. Place your Jam in the fridge to use immediately or follow proper canning procedures to store for later.

Strawberry Bread

Strawberry Bread is normally the last thing I make with the leftover strawberries. Homemade Bread is delicious, but like strawberries, it doesn’t have a very long shelf life. Besides having fresh strawberry bread with the previously made fresh strawberry jam is amazing. I use my breadmaker to make this bread, however, I imagine that you can use any bread recipe you like and just..add strawberries.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Warm Milk
• 2 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
• 1 Egg
• 2 tsp Salt
• 4 Cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1-2 pints strawberries

Directions

1. Measure and add all wet ingredients to the breadmaker
2. Measure and add all the dry ingredients except the yeast to the breadmaker
3. Make a small well in the dry ingredients and pour the yeast into it. It is important that the yeast not touches the wet ingredients until the machine starts to mix things together
4. Prepare the strawberries by cutting the tops off, and chopping into smaller pieces.
5. Add the strawberries to the outside of the pans and follow your breadmaker’s instructions for basic white or country bread.

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