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Cherry Bars

Inspired by the Great British Baking Show! These Cherry Bars are a delightful traybake with layers of sweet, tangy flavor.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert Recipes
Cuisine: GBBO Inspired
Calories: 6047kcal
Author: Laura

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt less if using salted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups rolled oats

cherry filling

  • 4 cups frozen sweet bing cherries, pitted
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour

optional cherry drizzle icing

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cherry extract
  • milk
  • red food coloring if your extract isn't red or pink
  • quartered maraschino cherries

Instructions

  • preheat the oven to 350˚
  • cut the butter into the flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda, you can use your food processor to do this OR two knives
  • use your hands to mix in the oats
  • when the mixture looks like crumbs, press most of it in a 9X13 pan, save 1 cup of the mixture to use for your topping
  • cook the cherries with the water and the sugar over medium heat until the cherries are juicy
  • use a potato masher or scissors to break up the cherries if they are whole
  • put the flour in a small bowl
  • when the cherries are very juicy, scoop up about 3/4 cup of the juice and pour it over the flour and stir until smooth
  • pour the juice back in the pan
  • cook and stir until the cherries have thickened up
  • pour over the prepared base
  • sprinkle with the reserved topping
  • bake 30-35 minutes until the top is browned and the filling is mostly set, it will be jiggly when you take it out but it will set up completely once it's cooled
  • you can cut and serve once they're cooled
  • or you can make the icing by combining the powdered sugar with the cherry extract and enough milk to make a drizzling icing, add a drop of red if your extract isn't pink or red, top with quartered maraschino cherries if desired

Nutrition

Calories: 6047kcal | Carbohydrates: 1040g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 199g | Saturated Fat: 119g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 51g | Trans Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 488mg | Sodium: 4439mg | Potassium: 2565mg | Fiber: 36g | Sugar: 692g | Vitamin A: 6026IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 503mg | Iron: 24mg