Cherry Crumb Bars

These easy cherry crumb bars have a buttery shortbread base, sweet cherry middle and crumb topping. The shortbread base doubles as the crumb topping - making these extremely simple to put together. The delicious cherry filling showcases fresh, sweet cherries perfectly. There's also the option to use sour cherries if that's more your style!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Cherry Crumb Bars, Cherry Shortbread Bars

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings large bars

Calories 328kcal

Author Fiona Dowling

Equipment

8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan there is not quite enough batter to use a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm) pan

Ingredients

Cherry Laryer

2 cups pitted cherries measure after pitting & slicing in half
1 tablespoon granulated sugar use 3 tablespoons if using sour cherries
2 tablespoons cornstarch (16 grams) AKA cornflour in Australia and the UK
1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed

Shortbread Base & Crumb Topping

¾ cup unsalted butter (168 grams) melted
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (219 grams)
⅔ cup granulated sugar (133 grams)
3 tablespoons cornstarch (24 grams) AKA cornflour in Australia and the UK
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F (170C).
Line an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang around the edges.
Ensure your cherries are pitted (I use a cherry pitter for this) and slice each cherry in half or quarters.
In a medium bowl, toss together the ingredients for the cherry filling: cherries, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and fresh lemon juice. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the shortbread layer: 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch and ¼ teaspoon salt (leave out the 1 tablespoon brown sugar - you'll use this later).
Stir/whisk the melted butter into the flour mixture. I use a fork for this. It should be crumbly.
Press a little more than half of the shortbread layer into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the top looks set. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven turned on.
With the reserved shortbread mixture (that's still in the bowl), stir in the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
Carefully spoon the cherry mixture on top of the baked shortbread base to create an even layer. Be careful, as the pan will be hot. If there is a lot of juice at the bottom of the bowl - do not add it to the pan.
Then crumble the remaining shortbread/crumb mixture over top of the cherry layer. If you can see some of the cherries poking through, that is ok.
Place the pan back in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top looks baked and is started to turn golden yellow. You may see some of the cherry juice bubbling through.
Cool the bars completely (this will take 3-4 hours).
When ready to slice, lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang of the parchment paper and set on a cutting board. Slice using a sharp knife, being sure to cut all the way through the shortbread base.

Notes

Cherries: I recommend using fresh cherries because frozen cherries will increase the bake time significantly and can also cause the shortbread base to be soggy. I used a little over 1 lb (450 grams) of cherries.
Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 bars, assuming the pan is sliced into 9 equal pieces.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition