Strawberry Shortcake Bars
servings
No bake Strawberry Shortcake Bars with Jell-O, whipped cream, and a strawberry crunch topping on an Oreo crust will remind you of those strawberry shortcake ice cream bars from the ice cream truck!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Cool Whip or 1 recipe of my Stabilized Whipped Cream divided below
Golden Oreo Crust
- 25 Golden Oreo Cookies with filling
- 4 tablespoons butter
Strawberry Cream Layer
- 3 ounces strawberry Jell-O
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ¾ cup cold water
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 8 drops red food coloring optional
- 2 cups Cool Whip
Cheesecake Layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Cool Whip
Strawberry Crunch Layer
- ⅓ cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 8 Golden Oreos with filling
- 1 tablespoon strawberry Jell-O powder
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 6 fresh strawberries
Instructions
Golden Oreo Crust
- Line an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with parchment, so that you can easily remove the bars to evenly slice and serve.
- In a medium bowl, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and melt for another 5-10 seconds, if necessary.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the 25 Golden Oreos with filling until they are fine crumbs. Add the cookie crumbs to the 4 tablespoons melted butter and mix with a rubber spatula until all is well incorporated.
- Pour into the prepared baking pan and spread, pressing down to create an even crust. Place pan into the freezer while preparing the rest of the recipe, a minimum of 30 minutes.
Strawberry Gelatin
- Into a 2-cup measuring glass, mix the 3 ounces strawberry gelatin with 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Add the 3/4 cup cold water and stir. Place into refrigerator until completely cooled, but not set - about 10 minutes.
Strawberry Cream Layer
- In a mixing bowl, beat 8 ounces of the cream cheese until smooth.
- Slowly pour in the chilled gelatin mix while mixing everything together. Once completely smooth, place into refrigerator to chill and thicken for one hour. (To be continued.) *Also, see note.
Cheesecake Layer
- In a mixing bowl, beat another 8 ounces of cream cheese, the 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together until smooth and creamy. With a rubber spatula, fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip.
- Place dollops of cheesecake mixture onto the frozen crust and with an offset spatula, spread to form an even layer.
Strawberry Cream Layer - continued
- After the Strawberry Cream mixture has been refrigerated for an hour, fold in the remaining Cool Whip (it will be about 2 cups) with a rubber spatula, combining until evenly distributed and smooth.
- Gently pour the strawberry cream onto the cheesecake layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
- Place into the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours
Strawberry Crunch Topping
- Place 1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries, and 8 Golden Oreos with filling into a food processor or blender. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the tablespoon of strawberry gelatin powder and pinch of salt. Pulse briefly to combine. Pour in the 2 tablespoons melted butter and pulse just until the mixture holds together when pressed. Spread the mixture on a plate and chill for 10-15 minutes.
Serving
- Hull the strawberries and dice them. Sprinkle the Strawberry Crunch Topping and diced strawberries over the bars.
- When slicing, remove the bars from the entire pan by lifting them out in the parchment. To make clean cuts, run a large knife under hot water, dry off, and then slice through the bars, repeating with each cut.
Notes
- Use the amounts of water in this recipe required to mix the strawberry gelatin. DO NOT use the amounts listed in the box instructions. We want a more stable gelatin and less of it.
- If strawberry cream mixture is left in the refrigerator for more than one hour, the gelatin will harden and form. This isn't an issue unless you want a completely creamy layer for the top with NO red strawberry specks.
- The link to the freeze-dried strawberries is for a larger can even though the recipe only calls for 1/3 cup. I like to have them on hand as I also use them to make this Strawberry Crunch Cake. Plus, they're good to snack on and will keep for a few months.
Nutrition
Calories: 659kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 999IU | Vitamin C: 112mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 3mg