Cherry Crumble Bars (Printable)

Buttery, crumbly bars with sweet-tart cherry filling. Easy to make and perfect for sharing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Crumble Layer

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
07 - 1 large egg

→ Cherry Filling

08 - 3 cups pitted fresh or frozen cherries, halved
09 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
10 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
11 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
12 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang for easy removal later.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until well combined.
03 - Add cold diced butter and egg to the dry mixture. Use a pastry cutter or clean fingers to blend until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining.
04 - Press two-thirds of the crumble mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to create a solid base layer.
05 - In a separate bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Toss gently until all cherries are evenly coated with the mixture.
06 - Spread the cherry filling evenly over the pressed crust, ensuring an even layer across the entire surface.
07 - Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the cherry layer in an even layer, covering the filling completely.
08 - Bake for 38 to 42 minutes until the top is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling around the edges.
09 - Let cool completely in the pan before lifting out using parchment overhang. Cut into 16 equal-sized bars.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The texture is impossibly buttery and tender, almost like a shortbread cookie met a fruit crumble and decided to stay together forever
  • They travel beautifully to potlucks and picnics, actually improving after a day at room temperature
02 -
  • The bars need to cool completely before cutting or the filling will ooze everywhere, I learned this the messy way
  • Frozen cherries work perfectly but may need an extra 5 minutes of baking time
03 -
  • Cold butter is non negotiable here, warm butter will turn your crumble into a dough
  • Use the parchment paper overhang as handles to lift the whole batch out at once

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