CHERRY PIE BARS

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These buttery Cherry Pie Crumb Bars feature a tender shortbread-style crust, a rich homemade sweet-tart cherry filling, and a crunchy crumble topping.

Ingredients

For the Cherry Filling:

  • Cherries: 4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and pitted) sweet or tart cherries
  • Granulated Sugar: 1/2 cup
  • Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons (acts as the thickener)
  • Lemon Juice: 2 teaspoons (freshly squeezed)
  • Extracts: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • Water: 4 tablespoons

For the Crust and Crumble Topping:

  • Unsalted Butter: 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks), softened to room temperature
  • Light Brown Sugar: 1 cup, packed
  • All-Purpose Flour: 1 cup
  • Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: 1 cup
  • Almond Flour: 1 cup (or substitute additional all-purpose flour if preferred)
  • Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon

For the Optional Vanilla-Almond Glaze:

  • Powdered Sugar: 1 cup
  • Milk or Heavy Cream: 3 to 4 tablespoons
  • Extracts: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Make the Cherry Filling

  1. Combine the cherries, water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  3. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 8 minutes until the cherries soften and the juices thicken into a glossy syrup.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Prepare the Crust & Topping

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the sides for easy removal later.
  2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the softened butter and brown sugar together at high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  3. Mix in the baking soda.
  4. Add the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, and almond flour. Mix on low speed just until the mixture combines and forms a coarse, crumbly dough.

3. Assemble and Bake

  1. Reserve about 1/3 of the crumb mixture in a separate bowl to use for the topping.
  2. Press the remaining 2/3 of the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking pan to form the base crust.
  3. Pour the cooled cherry filling over the crust, spreading it into an even layer.
  4. Scatter the reserved crumb mixture unevenly over the top of the cherries.
  5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling at the edges.

4. Cool, Glaze, and Slice

  1. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let it cool completely at room temperature (about 1 hour), then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to help the bars set cleanly.
  2. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or cream), and extracts for the glaze until completely smooth. Drizzle over the chilled bars.
  3. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang, slice into squares, and serve.

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