Cherry Almond Bars
Summer is cherry season-celebrate with a batch of homemade cherry almond bars. Bursting with ripe cherries, nestled in a buttery almond crust, these bars are delicious. A hint of almond extract enhances the natural flavor of the cherries, while a crumbly almond topping adds just the right crunch. I found this recipe at my local fresh market and will be making these every summer. Enjoy them with your morning coffee or serve them as a dessert, topped with whipped cream. Caution- to make these you need a cherry pitter, otherwise it is quite messy to pit cherries!
Cherry filling:
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved.
1.5 T sugar
juice from half a lemon
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 T cornstarch
Bars:
1 c flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/3 c sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg yolk
1.5 tsp almond extract
1 stick of cold batter cut in tiny pieces
Topping:
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease or spray an 8 by 8 pan.
3. Stir together all the ingredients for the cherry filling. Set aside, tossing occasionally to encourage some juicing.
4. Stir the 1st 5 dry ingredients for the bars together.
5. Add the yolk, almond extract, and butter and use a pastry blender to mix it together or pulse with a food processor until the dough just starts to hold together. It will be crumbly.
6. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan to form the bottom crust. Press it hard so it sticks together.
7. Top the crust with the cherries, spread evenly. Then crumble the remaining 1/3 of the dough evenly over the cherries.
8. Top with the sliced almonds.
9. Bake 40-45 minutes until the dough topping is golden and the filling is bubbling.
10. You must cool it thoroughly before cutting into bars.
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