These delicious cherry crumble bars have a shortbread base and a crumble topping made with almond flour and oat flour to keep them gluten-free. Sweetened with fresh or frozen cherries, these cherry pie bars are a perfect treat for any time of the year.
½tablespoonmilk or plant-based milkadded a dribble at a time
Instructions
Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Grease the other two sides of the pan with a small amount of butter or coconut oil.
In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust, stirring until well mixed.
Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture and set it aside to use for the crumble topping.
Press the remaining mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan, using your fingers or the base of a drinking glass.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, and then remove from the oven to slightly cool.
In a medium saucepan, combine the pitted cherries with sweetener, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and the cherries release their juices. This will take about 5-7 minutes. If you haven't halved the cherries, you can mash them a little using a potato masher. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes.
Spread the cherry filling over the baked crust in the baking pan leaving a margin of ½ inch so the filling doesn't stick to the pan.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of the crust mixture over top of the cherry filling.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes at 350°F. or until the filling bubbles around the edges of the pan and the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven. Cool completely, Once cooled, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars out of the pan. Refrigerate before drizzling with optional frosting and slicing into bars.
Serve the cherry crumble bars as they are or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.
Notes
Lining your baking pan with parchment paper makes the bars easy to remove. Leave a slight overhang on either side so you can gently lift out the whole batch, then transfer to a cutting board to slice after refrigerating.Use the base of a drinking glass to press the base firmly into the pan before baking.Remember to save one cup of the crust mixture to use for the crumble topping.