These Sake Strawberry-Apple Bars are just delicious! An easy recipe for bars filled with a sweet and juicy strawberry-apple filling and topped with a crunchy crumble.
Juicy strawberries with sweet apples get even better with a little sake. A moist and juicy filling topped with a salty pretzel-oat crust makes it difficult to eat just one bar!
I know I’ve mentioned that apple desserts are my favorite kind of desserts; a very close tie with Nutella desserts
I remember eating apple crumbles when I was little. My little brother and I would return from a long day at school to the comforting smells of apple and cinnamon baking. My mom would make crumbles and bars as often as she would make us cookies.
There wouldn’t be any lectures about not making a mess while we ate a crumble because a crumble is well, a crumbly affair to say the least. Her crumbles and bars were not made with sake...that's my crazy idea!
When I was studying at University, I was surrounded by students from all over the world. One very good friend of mine was Masaki Yoshida from Japan. We met each other in one of our International Business classes. All Masaki wanted to be was American. He loved basketball, rap music, and drove a Nissan 300 ZX. Masaki was a part of our group of friends that was mostly students from South America and Italy.
This is a crumble that is even more appealing because of the shortbread crust and the salty pretzel topping. There are oats mixed in with the butter and pretzel…it is slightly healthy. I find sake at Publix in the nice sushi section.
This is a crumble that is even more appealing because of the shortbread crust and the salty pretzel topping. There are oats mixed in with the butter and pretzel…it is slightly healthy.
Sake is smooth baked into the apples and strawberries. I recommend you try it. If you don’t have sake, you could use lemon or orange juice.
I love to add strawberry or apricot jam to my fruit fillings for pies or crumbles. If you don’t have strawberry jam, you can use any other flavored jam. This is very similar to my Winter Mini Apple Cranberry Crumble recipe.
What ingredients are in these easy to make bars?
Crust:
- unsalted butter, softened
- sugar
- all-purpose flour
- sea salt
Filling:
- granny smith apples (or your favorite baking apples)peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2” pieces
- strawberries
- lemon
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- sea salt
- strawberry jam
- cornstarch
- sake (or orange juice)
Crumb Topping:
- salted pretzels
- all-purpose flour
- light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- quick cooking oats
- butter
How to make these crumble bars
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 8x8 inch baking pan. In a medium sized bowl, add the apple pieces, cinnamon, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Let it sit while you prepare the crust. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the flour until a soft dough is formed. Remove the dough and place it into your prepared pan. Press firmly onto the bottom and sides of the pan.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. You will have to refrain from eating this sugar cookie crust! Yum!
While the crust is baking, prepare the apple-strawberry mixture. In a medium sauce pan, sauté the apples in medium-low heat for about 3 minutes (until they lose their crispiness). Add the strawberries and the strawberry jam. Add in the sake combined with the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Let it thicken and set the pan aside to cool while you prepare the crumb topping.
Crumb Topping:
In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed pretzels, oats, flour, both sugars, and oats. With a pastry cutter (or your fingers) cut in the butter pieces until the mixture has a crumbly mixture with the crumbs the size of blueberries.
After the filling cools, spread evenly on top of the crust.
Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the apple-strawberry filling.
Bake about 35-40 minutes or until the the topping is golden brown. Cool the bars completely in the pan on top of the rack, then place them in the refrigerator to chill before cutting.
You can store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you don’t gobble them all up as soon as you bake them.
Some other desserts to try:
- Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake
- Strawberry Crumble Bars
- Vegan Strawberry Banana Bread
- Strawberry Panna Cotta
Sake Strawberry-Apple Bars
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- dash of sea salt
- For the filling:
- 5 large granny smith apples or your favorite baking applespeeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- ½ cup strawberries cut into chunks
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons strawberry jam
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup sake or orange juice
- For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup crushed salted pretzels
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup quick cooking oats
- 1 stick chilled butter cut into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 8x8 inch baking pan. In a medium sized bowl, add the apple pieces, cinnamon, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Let it sit while you prepare the crust.
- Prep the crust: In a medium bowl, beat the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Beat in the flour until a soft dough is formed. Remove the dough and place it into your prepared pan. Press firmly onto the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. You will have to refrain from eating this sugar cookie crust! Yum!
- Prep the filling: While the crust is baking, prepare the apple-strawberry mixture. In a medium sauce pan, sauté the apples in medium-low heat for about 3 minutes (until they lose their crispiness). Add the strawberries and the strawberry jam. Add in the sake combined with the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Let it thicken and set the pan aside to cool while you prepare the crumb topping.
- Prep the Crumb Topping:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed pretzels, oats, flour, both sugars, and oats. With a pastry cutter (or your fingers) cut in the butter pieces until the mixture has a crumbly mixture with the crumbs the size of
- blueberries.
- After the filling cools, spread evenly on top of the crust.
- Bake about 35-40 minutes or until the the topping is golden brown. Cool the bars completely in the pan on top of the rack, then place them in the refrigerator to chill before cutting.
- You can store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you don’t gobble them all up as soon as you bake them.
Elizabeth Ann (Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box says
oh my goodness. . . this sounds AMAZING! 🙂 Apple desserts are my favorite too. . can you find sake at your local liquor store?? I've only had it at restaurants! 🙂
Nelly Rodriguez says
Oh these look so good! I love anything with crumbles on top! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Anonymous says
thanks for sharing your Maskai and sushi story. I'm sure he thinks of his time in the US with you guys whenever he eats a hamburger or a big piece of lasagna.
Your bars look great, I too am a big fan of anything apple and crumbly:)
Angela@RecipesFromMyMom says
So creative! I've never thought of baking with sake. Just drinking it :> I hope your friend Masaki is okay too.
Nisrine M. says
Sake in the filling must taste delicious in these scrumptious bars. Thanks for sharing the story of your friend with us. Our hearts are with Japan right now.
scrambledhenfruit says
I've never baked with Saki, but this does sound delicious. I hope your friend is safe! And thanks for the link to the St. Baldrick's post- I've left a comment there as well. 🙂
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
What a nice story about your old friend- I hope that he and his family are doing ok. It is surprising with today's current technology you haven't been able to find him. The bars look delicious by the way, love that you put pretzles in the topping!
something good says
If there is sake in it, it must taste heavenly!
Indeed, the tragedy that struck Japan is overwhelming... We were wondering about our friends over there and fortunately they all are ok.
A Thought For Food says
Thanks for the shout out, darling! These look incredible!
Lo-mo says
Mmm....Sake....looks absolutely divine! Love the 'good old days' story about you and Masaki, I do hope he and his family are safe, as with many others who have and friends and family in Japan, we hope to hear from them. The bars are so yummy looking!
Lizzy says
I'm with you on the apple desserts, Lora, so I know I'd love your beautiful bars. Hope that your friend, Masaki, is OK...
Chris says
My daughter LOVES apple crisps/crumbles. In fact, that is her "birthday cake" (and she's 19!) Thanks for a variation I'm going to try and see if it passes muster with her. 🙂
Amy says
These sound amazing! I love the addition of the Sake, it must make the bars extra good :)!
Anonymous says
I love crumb toppings and strawberry desserts 🙂 This looks fantastic! One of my husband's students (at a flight school) is from Japan and wants very badly to be American and introduce him to sushi...too funny!
Anonymous says
I love crumb toppings and strawberries 🙂 This look fantastic! One of my husband's students at the flight school he works at is from Japan. He too wants to be American and introduce my husband to sushi...too funny! I hope your friend is alright...
Karen says
I'm intrigued by the sake in this...what a great idea! Gorgeous bars. Love the combo of strawberry-apple (and that your friend drove a 300Z!).
Sandra says
This really looks fantastic..awesome combo!
Hope your friend is alright! It is sad what mother nature can do!
Becky says
Your bars look s good. My son doesn't like cake or chocolate, so I make apple crisp every year for his birthday. Love the pretzels in the crumb topping.
Sandra says
Yummies! I had warm sake for the first time last summer and it's sooo good. This is a great recipe and I too am sending well wishes to you and our friends in Japan.
Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels says
Oh how I love hearing about your sweet friend from college. When I was in college, I was an ESL teacher to international college students from Japan. It was truly one of the best experiences.
What a great idea to combine apples and strawberries in a bar! And I just love the pretzels in the topping, so creative. 🙂
A little bit of everything says
i have some friends in Japan too and when i first heard the news I immediately email them.
What a great memory about your friend.
the bars sound so good. love the apple-strawberry-pretzel combo. thanks for sharing Lora
p.s. voted you twice, good luck
Kimberly says
Those look SO good!! I love bars like this, they always succeed in making my happy and are the best smelling desserts while baking.
Elin says
Lora..great post for a great cause...will be dropping a comment there as soon as I have finished here 🙂
Great sake strawberry and apple bars ! I will love this and have bookmarked it for future bakes 🙂
Take care and God bless,
Elin
Happy When Not Hungry says
These bars look amazing! I am so intrigued that there is sake in there as well. I've never baked with sake before, but am very curious. I'll def have to try this recipe. Thanks Lora!
Lindsay @Eat, Knit, Grow says
Yum the bars look fantastic! I love the crumb topping! And Sake, so neat!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
Wonderful post. I feel your worry for your friend. I had friends in Thailand when the tsunami hit a few years back. Hugs and prayers...
These bars looks divine. I've never combined apples and strawberries and I've definitely never BAKED with sake. So intriguing!
Pretend Chef says
Life pulls us in so many directions and unfortunately sometimes it pulls us so far away from those we are connected to. Onto happier notes... these bars sound amazing. Sake is something I have no experience with but the combination sounds delicious. The crumbly topping makes these even more appealing. Yummy!
Sanjeeta kk says
These look awesome, love the furity touch to the bars!
polwig says
This looks amazing... I hope you are able to find your friend Masaki and catch up soon.
The Mom Chef says
I'm to a point now where watching anything about Japan makes tears well up. It's one horror after the other over there. I hope and pray that your friend is well. We continue to pray for your health too.
Thanks for this recipe. It looks absolutely fantastic. Shortbread is one of my favorite snacks (just under cheesecake) and adding fruit to it can only make it twice gooder.
Lauren@LittleYellowKitchen says
Thanks for that story. I hope he is ok as well. I feel so helpless being so far away from it all! We all just need to keep praying for everyone's well being.
Oh man, those bars are great. I am totally that person that eats the crumbly top and leaves the middle behind
Sprinkled with Flour says
What a great looking fruit bar. I love putting apple and strawberry together, it's a good texture combo. These sounds so yummy!
Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking says
You used such great flavor combinations in these bars, Lora! What a wonderful treat. Thank you for sharing your talents in the kitchen. I've been thinking of you and your health, and hope for nothing but the best for you! 🙂
Ilke says
It is amazing how we are all connected in this world, over the big oceans! Hope he is ok!
The crumble looks lovely! I am not a big fan of sake but I bet it went well with the recipe!
Susi says
Lora, apple desserts are in a close race with Nutella for me as well. I don't think I would pass up either ;o) This is a lovely looking fruit bar and I love your creativity when making all of these wonderful treats.
Thanks for sharing the story about your friend Masaki. I'm hoping you'll cross paths again one day and he is safe!
My Man's Belly says
I'm with you and my love for apple bars. My mom would make these half sheet pans of apple pie bars for our seemingly endless fundraisers. Maybe that's why I like the bars so much more than pies.
SMITH BITES says
such a lovely, lovely story Lora - i do hope you hear about your friend. thoughts and prayers are w/him and the Japanese people
Anonymous says
I have a cousin named Masaki, he lives in Kagoshima. My mom's side of the family is from Fukushima. Thank God they're all OK... I still can't believe this happened and I've stopped reading the news because its too sad 🙁 I hope your friend Masaki is OK. Besos, Lora!
Monet says
What a great post...and what a great tribute to your friend. My best friend is teaching English in Japan (thankfully I heard from her on Sunday), but my heart is just breaking for that country. It makes you thankful for every breath we're given. These bars look and sound scrumptious. Thank you for sharing this sweetness. Much love.
Mary says
These are adorable! Love it!!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
Sue says
These bars look FANTASTIC!
Praying for you, Lora, and praying for Japan.
Evan @swEEts says
This kind of reminds me of the strawberry pretzel salad we have for Thanksgiving 🙂 I love the ingredients.. I am definitely going to be trying this once I get my hands on some strawberries!
blackbookkitchendiaries says
this looks so lovely! thank you for sharing this post with us.
Raina says
Wonderful crumble...looks amazing! I hope you find your friend and that he is okay.
Velva says
Love, love, crumbles. Just love them. What a great afternoon snack.
Cheers to discovering sushi with your friend. Positive thoughts coming your way that all will be okay.
Kate @ Diethood.com says
I love this post... my heart goes out to your friend and the rest in Japan... hope all will be okay!
The bars are absolutely scrumptious...sake, crumbles, strawberry...mmmmm!
Magic of Spice says
These looks wonderful...
I hope your friend is safe and that you are able to reconnect at some point.
briarrose says
Amazing job on this. It looks delicious and the pretzel topping is the perfect final touch.
Anonymous says
Prayers for your friend and all in Japan! I love this recipe it looks so delicious! Thank you for posting! Angela