These delicious cherry almond bars are so buttery, sweet, and also tart you won’t be able to stop eating them, guaranteed!
Ingredients & Equipment Needed For This Recipe
Ingredients:
Crust
- Unsalted Butter– Needs to be soft. If you are using a butter alternative, this can be made into a vegan dessert! I have not tested this for myself, so I am not 100% but am pretty sure it will work!
- Granulated Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- All-Purpose Flour– You can replace this with your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour as a replacement!
Filling
- 1 Can of Tart Cherries– NOT CHERRY PIE FILLING. We are going to make this from scratch so if you don’t want to do that you can use the filling but for this recipe, go with pitted cherries. My brand of choice from Oregon Fruit Products.
- Water
- Cornstarch– Combined with the water to make a slurry. AKA a thickener for the filling.
- Lemon Juice– Can use fresh or bottled, up to you! Used to keep the color of the cherries while they cook.
- Granulated Sugar– Add some sweet to cut the tartness.
- Almond Extract– To give off those *almond vibes*. My go-to is Nielsen Massey.
- Vanilla Extract
Topping
- Unsalted Butter– This one you’ll need to melt. Again if using a butter replacement, this can be vegan!
- Granulated Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Almond Extract-*almond vibes*
- All-Purpose Flour– To keep this recipe Gluten-Free (if you have been all along) use a 1:1 ration Gluten-Free alternative.
Glaze
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk of Choice– I used whole milk for my recipe, but have used almond and oat milk to make this particular glaze!
- Almond Extract– For more *almond vibes*
Equipment:
- Set of Measuring Spoons & Cups OR Digital Kitchen Scale if using Metric
- 8″X8″ Metal, Glass, or Ceramic Baking Dish– Baking vessel to use for this recipe.
- Parchment Paper– To keep the bars from sticking to the baking dish.
- Small Pot– For Cherry Filling
- 2 Mixing Bowls– You’ll need one medium bowl for the mixing crust and also for the topping. I do both by hand. one small bowl needed for the glaze.
- 2 Rubber Spatula– One is used to mix together the crust dough, and the other is for the cherry filling.
- Fork– Mixing up that almond glaze and also to drizzle.
- Sharp Knife to Cut Bars
My Kinda Professional Tips For Cherry Almond Bars
- My biggest suggestion as it is with most recipes is to have everything all together before you start the process. I’ve made this a few times and it’s way less complicated than it sounds. By having everything ready to go you’ll be set up for success.
- Don’t overcook your filling. You will be continuing to cook the filling for an extra 25-30 minutes so keep that in mind as you’re cooking the filling. I cook it til its thick but not toooo thick. Just follow the cooking time in the recipe and you’ll be good to go
- These bars can be served hot OR cold. That’s the beauty of them. I prefer cold but have definitely eaten them when I couldn’t wait and they were super delicious then as well!
- These cherry almond bars will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a close-able container and in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Delicious Cherry Almond Bars
Summer is on it's way and what better way to celebrate than with these delicious cherry almond bars.This treat is so butter, sweet, and also tart you won't be able to stop eating.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, soft or alternative (113 g)
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar (55 g)
- pinch Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour or alternative (136 g)
Cherry Filling
- 1 can Cherries not filling
- 1/4 Cup Water (60 ml)
- 1 Tbl Lemon Juice (10 ml)
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar (55 g)
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Topping
- 2 Tbl Unsalted butter, melted or alternative (28 g)
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar (55 g)
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
- 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour or alternative
Almond Glaze
- 1/3 Cup Powdered Sugar (35 g)
- 1 Tbl Milk of Choice (10 ml)
- 1/8 tsp Almond Extract
Instructions
Crust
- Pre- heat oven to 325° F (163 C). Line your baking dish with parchment and pan spray, set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour and salt until a dough forms.
- Place the dough into the baking dish and distribute evenly on the bottom. It will be pretty thin but will puff up a little in the oven.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool slightly before adding the cherry filling.
Cherry Filling
- While the crust is baking, prepare the cherry filling to place on top. Combine together all of the ingredients except the cornstarch and water. Those two will be mixed together to create a slurry.
- Cook over medium heat until the cherries are at a boil. reduce heat slightly and add the cornstarch slurry. Continue to cook until the liquid becomes clear again and the mixture is thick. I'd suggest the same time as it takes the crust, the filling should be done!
- Let the filling cool before adding on the top the crust. Meanwhile you can prepare the topping.
Topping
- Melt the butter and add in all the other ingredients until a sandy dough forms.
- Once the cherry filling is on top of the crust, add the topping evenly on top of the filling.
- Place back into the oven for an additional 25-30 minutes. The best way to tell if these bars are done is the edges of the filling should be bubbling.
- Take of the oven and let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes before either enjoying with the almond glaze on top (made by mixing all together), or placing in the fridge for an additional 2 hours and serving it cold with the glaze also.
Notes
1 Serving= 1 Bar with 1 Tbl of Glaze
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