Cherry Crumb Bars

Step 1

Line a 9" square pan with foil. Spray bottom and sides with cooking spray. Set aside.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 3

In a small saucepan, combine frozen (or fresh, pitted) cherries, sugar, lemon juice and zest and salt. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 1- 2 minutes. The cherries will give off a good amount of juice at this point.

Step 4

In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and a few spoonfuls of the hot cooked cherry juice straight from the pan. Use enough of the juice to fully dissolve the cornstarch. It should be a thin liquid. Pour this mixture back into the pan with the cherries and stir to incorporate. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Pour into a heat safe bowl and set aside to cool.

Step 5

In a medium bowl whisk the flour and cornstarch together. Set aside.

Step 6

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 7

Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts to the butter mixture and continue beating until thoroughly combined.

Step 8

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. It will be moist enough to hold together.

Step 9

Remove 3/4 cup of this crumb mixture and mix with the almond flour until well combined. Set this mixture aside for later.

Step 10

Press remaining crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Step 11

Top cooled crust with cooled cherry filling, spreading the filling evenly over the partially baked crust.

Step 12

Take the reserved crumb/almond flour mixture and drop small pieces of the mixture evenly over the top of the cherry filling. (See blog post for photos of this step)

Step 13

Sprinkle top with about 2 Tablespoons of sliced almonds.

Step 14

Bake for 30-35 minutes until filling is bubbly and crumb topping is golden brown.

Step 15

Allow to cool completely. Use foil to lift bars out of pan for cutting. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired.

Step 16

Store bars at room temperature for up to 2 days, then refrigerate any leftovers for 2 more days. For longer storage, wrap each bar individually with plastic wrap or waxed paper and place in a freezer bag, then freeze for up to 3 months..