Strawberry Lemonade Cookie Bars

When you need a serotonin boost, try funny videos or something sweet with a cakey, buttery base and real fruit.

My gym plays Fox News on some of the many TVs that hang over the cardio area. I watch for as long as I can until my heart rate exceeds a healthy level. One recent morning, I looked up from toiling on the treadmill (please clap) to see the chyron on Fox News reading: “Kamala Harris tells odd story about elephant.”

Yes, wow, that Kamala, famous for her crazy digressions in the middle of speeches. My gawd, she even called it a digression. I watched for a while longer to see if maybe they mentioned how last night President Donald Trump responded to a question about Harvard with a discussion of Harlem and how Black voters love him. But no, tell me more about the elephant

Truth is I couldn’t stomach watching Fox News for long and went back to watching old videos of Martin Short as celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick. The Glick videos were recommended by Amy Poehler on her new podcast, “A Good Hang.” On each episode she interviews someone brilliant and funny and ends the show with a recommendation for a much-needed serotonin boost, which brought me to the three-hour YouTube video of all Glick’s best interviews.

But you don’t need me gabbling on about the news when there are strawberry lemonade cookie bars to be discussed. These are dedicated to Julia Payne, The Contrarian’s managing editor, whose birthday is next week.

About the cookie bars: The bottom layer is cakey, buttery base, made extra tender with cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar. I ice them with an intensely strawberry frosting made with freeze-dried strawberries. As an added bonus, they’re easy to make.

· You can find freeze-dried strawberries at most good groceries, typically in the produce aisle. Trader Joe’s also stocks them. Don’t substitute fresh strawberries.

· Pure lemon extract is available at almost any supermarket. McCormick is a good brand.

Strawberry Lemonade Cookie Bars

Makes 9 to 16 bars

What You’ll Need:

For the cookie bars

1 ¼ cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (28 grams) confectioner’s sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

13 tablespoons (182 grams) butter, room temperature

10 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (155 grams or 5.5 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons pure lemon extract

Zest of 1 lemon

For the frosting

2 cups (228 grams) confectioner’s sugar

4 tablespoons (56 grams) butter, melted

½ cup (1 ounce) freeze-dried strawberries, crushed into a powder

1 – 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons milk

What You’ll Do:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a 9 x 9” (23 cm x 23 cm) square baking pan. Line with two strips of parchment as wide as the pan. The parchment should be long enough to hang over the side of the pan to create a sling so you can easily lift the cookies out of the pan after baking.

2. Whisk together the flour, confectioner’s sugar and kosher salt. With a stand or hand mixer, cream together the butter and the cream cheese until you can’t tell one from the other, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides. Add the sugar and mix at medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon zest, and beat until creamy. Slowly add the flour and blend until mixed. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until pale yellow on top. Do not overbake. A toothpick should come out with only a dainty crumb or two stuck to it. Let cool completely.

3. While the cookie bars are baking, prepare the frosting: With a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter, confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of milk together until creamy and a spreadable consistency. If the frosting looks a bit dry, add another tablespoon of lemon juice.

4. When the pan of cookies is completely cool, frost them with the strawberry icing. Cut into squares or long bars and serve.

Marissa Rothkopf Bates writes about food for the New York Times, Newsweek (RIP) and Publishers’ Weekly among others. Her newest book, “The Secret Life of Chocolate Chip Cookies,” is available for pre-sale wherever fine books are sold. Find her on Substack here.

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