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Frosted Soft Brown Sugar Strawberry Bars. Gooey cinnamon-brown sugar bars with a sweet layer of strawberry jam tucked inside. Think two layers of salted brown sugar shortbread cookie dough, sandwiched with jam, baked until flaky, then finished with a sweet cinnamon maple icing. Soft, gooey in the center, and full of warm strawberry flavor—these bars are dangerously delicious!
Oh my gosh, these turned out so good! I’ve had them scribbled in my notebook for weeks, just waiting for the right time to share. At first, I thought they’d be the perfect back-to-school treat (and they totally are!), but honestly, they’re so good you can make them for anyone and at any time.
Inspired by those soft strawberry bars you find at the store, I knew homemade would be better. All it took was a jar of jam and a little creativity, and here they are—sweet, soft, buttery, and so pretty. My cousin Abby is already planning to bake a batch this weekend so she can have one with her coffee every day next week. I love that idea!
Here are the details
Ingredients – for the cookie dough
- all-purpose flour
- dark brown sugar
- salted butter
- vanilla extract
Filling Ingredients
- strawberry jam
- dark brown sugar
- all-purpose flour
- cinnamon
- salted butter
Frosting Ingredients – you can make this or skip if you prefer something less sweet.
- powdered sugar
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
Steps
Step 1: make the shortbread dough
In a bowl, mix together the flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Work the butter into the flour, then beat in the water until the dough starts to cling to the bowl.
Use room-temperature salted butter—it’s the key to a perfectly flaky dough. The salt brings everything together, and the flavor is so much better. My mom taught me that one growing up!
Step 2: press the dough out
Divide the dough in half. Press one half into a 9×9-inch square baking dish lined with parchment paper.
Roll the remaining dough out into a square just larger than the pan. To get the size right, trace the outline of your baking dish onto parchment paper, then roll the dough just past the edges. Set aside.
Step 3: the filling
Spread the strawberry jam evenly over the dough in the pan.
In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. It will smell amazing—sweet, buttery, and a little spiced.
Step 4: assemble
Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the jam, then lightly swirl it in. Lay the reserved sheet of dough over the filling, trimming as needed to fit.
Chill the assembled bars in the freezer for 15 minutes to help them bake up beautifully.
Bake for 45–50 minutes, until the top is golden and flaky.
Step 5: the icing
While the bars cool, make the frosting by mixing powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth.You can make this if you want a sweeter bar, it is SO DELICIOUS, but the bars are yummy and sweet enough on their own without icing too.
Drizzle the icing over the cooled bars (I love the look of the drizzle instead of a full spread).
Let them set, or slice and enjoy while still a little gooey—they’re so good either way! Perfect for back-to-school snacks, bake sales, or just because.
Looking for other homemade versions of childhood favorites? Try some of these.
Homemade Chocolate Fudge Pop Tarts
Healthier Homemade Somoas Cookies
Homemade Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart
Frosted Soft Strawberry Cinnamon Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 280 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 sticks salted butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 1/4-1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I use 1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 jar strawberry jam (around 1 1/2 cups)
Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the flour, sugar, and butter. Add the vanilla and 1/3 cup cold water. Beating until just combined, adding 1-2 tablespoons additional water as needed until the dough forms a ball.2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 3. Divide the dough in half. Press half the dough into the prepared baking dish. Trace the 9×9 inch baking dish on a sheet of parchment paper. Now, roll the remaining dough out just past the edges of the traced-out square. Set aside.4. To make the filling. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Evenly sprinkle or spread the filling over the jam. Carefully invert the reserved dough square over the filling, pressing down gently to secure. Trim away any excess dough.5. Freeze the bars for 15 minutes. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, until set in the center. Let cool.6. To make the frosting. In a bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients and 1-2 tablespoons of water until smooth. If your frosting is too thick, thin it with 1-2 tablespoons of additional water.7. Drizzle the frosting over the bars. Let dry, then cut into bars. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
This post was originally published on August 15, 2025
The texture was awful and these were too sweet. This was a waste of time. Should have made it into a granola or something but, didn’t think of that until after my mom had already thrown them away.
Hi Sarah,
So sorry to hear this. Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback.
The most delicious dessert I have ever made! Soft. Tasty and so good warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Highly refomm
Hey Martine,
Happy Weekend! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad they were enjoyed!
Wondering if I could use almond flour instead of regular flour for these?
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried this with almond flour so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
I meant * highly recommend!
Turned out amazing, thank you for posting. It taste awesome with or without the frosting
Hi Luke! Thank you so much! Love to hear you enjoyed these strawberry bars! Thanks for giving them a try! 🙂 xT
Making these this weekend!!!
Hope you love these strawberry vars Linda! Have a great day! 🙂 xT
I made these and they were pretty good. She doesn’t mention how you roll out the top dough which is very sticky. Do you flour the parchment paper? Could you use sugar on the parchment so the dough doesn’t stick before putting it on top. If you want your bars to look like hers I would take the cookies out of the pan, cut them, then add the drizzle. I would also skip making the filling. When you spread the jam and try to put the rest of the filling on top it’s just sort of clumpy and you have to mess too much with it to get it incorporated into the jam. Frankly the jam alone taste delicious.
Hi Linda! Thanks for trying the recipe! The top dough can definitely be sticky sometimes, flouring the parchment or chilling the dough helps. Cutting the bars before drizzling is a great tip, and your feedback on the filling is really helpful too! Thanks again! xT
Yummy! I just got done eating a piece. I couldn’t wait for it to cool and opted out of the frosting and had a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead. It was just the right sweetness. It kind of reminds me of pie/cobbler but better! Its not quite shortbread but not quite pie either. It’s a huge plus that it’s easier to make than pie. Using the jam is genius! My kids all loved this and will be making this often. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Amber! Thank you so so much for trying out these strawberry bars! So happy to hear you enjoyed them! I bet the ice cream with this was delicious! xT
These are purely divine!!! The only thing I did differently was let them sit a bit longer in the freezer. Per my oven I cooked them for 50min to get that golden brown crust. I have 3 kids and they are going to love this as a Friday treat after a long week back to school!
Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Beth! Thank you so so much for trying out these strawberry bars! Love to hear that you and your family enjoyed them! Happy back to school season! 🙂 xT
These did not turn out well at all, the dough didn’t get flaky at all & they were wayyyy too sweet. They just kind of fell apart.
Hi Erica! I am so sorry you didn’t love these bars! Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it! xT
I went against my better judgment and made these according to the directions using softened butter, which Tieghan said would result in a “perfectly flaky dough.” They did not. I’ve never seen a shortbread recipe add all of the ingredients together, and not use cold butter, and I’m guessing there is a reason for this. They were almost gummy, not flaky at all, and the end result, as others have noted, were way too sweet. As my dad used to say, “the secret is knowing when to stop,” and the icing was overkill. A waste of ingredients, unfortunately.
Hi Kate! I am SO sorry to hear these bars didn’t turn out for you! Thank you so much for giving this feedback, it’s super helpful. I’m so sorry again that this was a waste of ingredients and time for you, I always want your experience with the recipes here at HBH to be positive and I apologize! Have a wonderful rest of your week! xT