A recipe that I’ve made over and over again is Cherry Pie Bars. I’ve made so
many desserts over the years that sometimes I’ll have to remind Jack and Mark
which dessert I’m referring to…”Remember those cookies I made last summer that we ate after taco night and
shared with the neighbors across the street?”
NOT THESE. The boys know what I mean when I say “cherry pie bars.”
You might remember that
we recently moved. Coincidentally, the (darling) daughter of one of
my Dallas besties
and her husband just moved in a few neighborhoods away. I know from
first-hand, very recent experience that moving is hard work and is
fueled only with copious amounts of fast food and sugar.
So, I whipped up a little treat. Cherry Pie Bars.
I’d forgotten that in the
original recipe, I used sliced almonds. In our old house, I had a stash of opened bags of
various nuts stored in our freezer. They didn’t make the move. (Honestly, some
of them were probably past their prime.)
Anyway, between forgetting the recipe called for almonds and not having a
stash in my freezer, I was without almonds! After pondering, I used oats
instead, which worked like a charm.
Another change to this recipe is because I’m still getting used to this oven.
And the cherry pie bars came out a little more crisp than I usually bake
them, but you know what? They were more pie-like. The bottom crust and
topping with the oats resembled the texture of pie more than it did a cookie bar.
Either way you bake them, they are delicious. Mark was a little panicked that
I gave them all away. (Never fear, I always set a few aside for him…and myself
to “test” as well.) He gave this new version two thumbs up.
Cherry Pie Bars Revisited
Longer baking times will result in a more pie-like bar, while a shorter
baking time will yield softer, more cookie-like bars.
YIELD: 12-16 bars
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
BAKE TIME: about 35 minutes
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup sliced almonds or rolled oats
1 & 1/4 cup cherry pie filling
Confectioner’s Sugar (for sprinkling)
Preheat oven to 350.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until combined and
fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat until combined, scraping the sides and
bottom of bowl as necessary. Mix in the extracts.
On low speed, mix in the flour until just combined. Reserve 1/2 cup of the
dough in another bowl. Press the larger portion of dough evenly into an
ungreased
9×13″ pan. Stir the oats or almonds into the reserved dough.
Add the cherry pie filling evenly over the dough. Pinch off sections of the
almond dough and scatter over the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top is lightly
browned.
Longer baking times will result in a more pie-like bar, while a shorter
baking time will yield softer, more cookie-like bars.
Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares or bars and dust with
confectioner’s sugar.
[Note: To make the sticky dough easier to press into the pan, wet your hands
and dry until still damp. Press the dough in place with damp fingers.]
