Sweet And Tart Cherry Streusel Bars
Tart cherries cover buttery shortbread and sit beneath a layer of cinnamon crumbles...what's not to love?
These yummy cherry streusel bars disappeared in an instant when we brought them into the office yesterday. Tart cherries cover buttery shortbread and sit beneath a layer of cinnamon crumbles…what’s not to love? They’re sweet, simple and irresistibly delicious! Best of all, they’re really easy to make.
The prep work only takes us about 15 minutes, so very little effort is required to bake something amazingly good. When cherries are in season, we definitely go for fresh, but in a pinch frozen cherries, thawed will do the trick. And who can resist that classic streusel topping?! Once cooled, we slice these into squares or bars, the perfect size serving for sharing, whether it’s at the office or at home, and their cherry streusel goodness never fails to bring a smile whenever they’re served.
Cherry Streusel Bars
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, divided (1 1/2 sticks, softened, and 1 stick, cold)
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup cherry jam/preserves
- 3 cups cherries, pitted and sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Beat 1 1/2 sticks softened butter with 1 3/4 cups flour, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and salt in large mixing bowl until it forms a soft ball of dough. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes, until dough starts to rise and edges begin to brown. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before handling.
- Heat cherry jam in a microwave safe bowl until softened. Spread over top of base.
- Cut remaining stick of cold butter into cubes. Use a fork to combine cubed butter with remaining 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon to create moist, pebble-like crumbles.
- Overlap cherry slices to cover crust. Sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until crumbles are golden brown. Cool completely before slicing into bars. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Somewhat Simple