1950’s Simple Strawberry Squares
Simple Strawberry Squares from my grandmother’s vintage collection
I love fresh strawberries. When I was little, we didn’t have fancy U-pick strawberry farms in my area. Nope, my grandmother and I would bike to the baseball field on the other side of the river and pick them in the wild. You see, they grew in abundance there. Wild strawberries grow best in meadows and open fields with good sun exposure.
Off we went with out empty yogourt containers. Picking tiny little wild strawberries. This must have been a long and tedious affaire for my grandmother. I mean seriously. Especially with a 6 year old who would eat more than she would bring back. To me, it was better than going to a candy store. We always managed to come back enough to make ONE yummy jar of jam. (Recipe for that one later in the summer)
So when I saw this recipe in the book, I knew this is where I wanted to start. Plus it seemed pretty strait forward. Or so I thought.
Fresh Organic Strawberries
What they really should be called this recipe is:
Simply Messy Strawberry Squares. I swear I had this whipped deliciousness on everything in the studio by the time I was done photographing it. And on everything in the kitchen while making it. I even had some on my glasses. Only noticed it when I was posting my reel on IG
The first time I made the squares, I found them to be, well very sweet to say the least. More like border line carb coma.
The original recipe dates from 1950 and calls for strawberry jello, sugar AND dream whip. Yikes!!
So I made a few modifications the second time around and YUM! Not so sweet success. Light fresh fluffy yet firm strawberry and whip cream filling.
Original ingredient list from the 1950’s
Firm yet fluffy whipped cream and strawberry filling
You will find my revised version below. I’m not saying it’s better or worse. I’m no chef…..I’m just embarking on this journey of bringing life back to some of these vintage recipes because I just couldn’t get the idea out of my heart. I hope you will follow along and enjoy this journey with me.
Strawberry Squares
Filling (part 1)
2 cups of frozen strawberries
1/3 pack of Strawberry Jello
Add these two ingrediance to a sauce pan. Stir often and slowly bring to a boil. (The thawing of the strawberries will provide the liquid needed.) Set aside an allow to cool. Once cooled mash or blend until strawberries are crushed but not pureed.Graham Bass:
2 cups of Graham Wafers crumbs
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1/2 cup of soft salted butter
I mixed these 3 ingredients with my hands to get a good even amalgamation (just like Memere use to do)
I use parchment paper in the baking dish to prevent sticking. I cut it to size then laid it on the bottom of the 9 x 9 dish.
The original recipe says 325 for 10 min. I baked it at 300 for 8 minutes. My oven is old and burns everything. (that’s my excuses anyway and I’m sticking to it. )
Remove and allow to cool.
While Bass is cooling…….prepare Dream Whip filling.
Filling (part 2)
1 pack of Dream Whip
1/3 pack soft cream cheese (~ this is my add in ~)
Prepare 1 pack of Dream Whip according to box instructions.
Once Dream Whip is fluffy and thick, slowly add pieces of cream cheese and continue mixing on medium speed until smooth (or until smooth enough, mine still had a few chunks in it)
With a spoon, add the strawberry mixture (part 1) (make sure it’s cool enough) into whipped cream mixture (part 2) and stir until blended.
Pour the blended filling on top of Graham base and refrigerate over night to allow the jello to set.
Cut into squares and enjoy. I also found that these squares freeze well. Prolonging the pleasure.
Cut into squares and enjoy
Look at that fluffy deliciousness.
If you tried and enjoyed these strawberry squares, please let me know. Show me your creations. What projects are you working on? Talk to me about your favourite strawberry recipe. I would love to hear from you.