In the early summer when cherries are abundant I like to use them in many ways. Today I'm making cherry crumble bars, and you can use either sour cherries or the larger, sweet Bing cherries. Even a combination will do. You simply must adjust the amount of sugar used in the recipe.
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| Julian's Cherry Crumble Bars |
These make an excellent snack, are great for breakfast, or can be paired with vanilla ice-cream and served as a dessert.
I'm using a combination of sour and sweet cherries today, but the recipe below assumes you are using all sour cherries. The original recipe came from Martha Stewart, and I've only made small adjustments over time.
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| Sour (bottom) and Sweet (Top) Cherries |
Ingredients
For the crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, and more for pan
1 cup sugar (or bakers sugar substitute like Splenda Magic Baker)
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, and more for pan
1 cup sugar (or bakers sugar substitute like Splenda Magic Baker)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
1 1/3 pound sour cherries before pitting
3/4 cup sugar (or bakers sugar substitute)
3/4 cup sugar (or bakers sugar substitute)
Note: Use half this amount if using all sweet dark Bing cherries
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Instructions
Heat Oven; prepare pan:
Pre-heat oven to 350F degrees. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides to aid with removal from the pan. Butter the parchment.
Pre-heat oven to 350F degrees. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides to aid with removal from the pan. Butter the parchment.
Make crust:
Beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low, add flour and salt, and beat until dough forms clumps but does not completely hold together. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for the topping and press the remainder into bottom and 1-inch up sides of prepared pan. Refrigerate the crust and reserved topping.
Beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low, add flour and salt, and beat until dough forms clumps but does not completely hold together. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for the topping and press the remainder into bottom and 1-inch up sides of prepared pan. Refrigerate the crust and reserved topping.
Pit the cherries:
I use a cherry pitting device, but if you don't have one you can push the pits out with a plastic or metal straw.
In a medium bowl, stir together cherries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt. Remove crust and topping from refrigerator and spoon filling onto the crust. Crumble the topping mixture evenly over filling, squeezing together to create clumps.
Bake until bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 hour, 10 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent top with foil). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan. Use the parchment sling to carefully lift out of the pan and onto a wire rack. Cool for another 30 minutes before slicing into squares.
These cherry bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, place them between sheets of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
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