Imagine if sugar cookie bars and a cherry pie got married.
I like food marriages. Last week, I saw this macaroni & cheese pizza and, well, I haven't been able to stop thinking of it since.
Here's what I love about these bars: EVERYTHING.
The sugar cookie base is thick and almond-y. The cherries are tart and sweet. The whole thing comes together in a snap. Cherry pie with no fork required.
Mr. E went a little ga-ga over these. (Maybe men don't go ga-ga. Whatever you want to call it, he LOVED them.)
If you bake one thing this week...make these bars.
Cherry Pie Bars
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12-24 bars, depending on size
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 cup Imperial Sugar Fine Granulated Sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup sliced almonds
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 & 1/4 cup cherry pie filling
Imperial 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 9x13” pan. Stir the 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 38-45 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top is lightly
browned. 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.]
