A recipe that I've made over and over again is Cherry Pie Bars. I've made so many desserts over the years that sometimes I'll have to remind Jack and Mark which dessert I'm referring to..."Remember those cookies I made last summer that we ate after taco night and shared with the neighbors across the street?"
NOT THESE. The boys know what I mean when I say "cherry pie bars."
You might remember that we recently moved. Coincidentally, the (darling) daughter of one of my Dallas besties and her husband just moved in a few neighborhoods away. I know from first-hand, very recent experience that moving is hard work and is fueled only with copious amounts of fast food and sugar.
So, I whipped up a little treat. Cherry Pie Bars.
I'd forgotten that in the original recipe, I used sliced almonds. In our old house, I had a stash of opened bags of various nuts stored in our freezer. They didn't make the move. (Honestly, some of them were probably past their prime.)
Anyway, between forgetting the recipe called for almonds and not having a stash in my freezer, I was without almonds! After pondering, I used oats instead, which worked like a charm.
Another change to this recipe is because I'm still getting used to this oven. And the cherry pie bars came out a little more crisp than I usually bake them, but you know what? They were more pie-like. The bottom crust and topping with the oats resembled the texture of pie more than it did a cookie bar.
Either way you bake them, they are delicious. Mark was a little panicked that I gave them all away. (Never fear, I always set a few aside for him...and myself to "test" as well.) He gave this new version two thumbs up.
Cherry Pie Bars Revisited
Longer baking times will result in a more pie-like bar, while a shorter baking time will yield softer, more cookie-like bars.
YIELD: 12-16 bars
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
BAKE TIME: about 35 minutes
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup sliced almonds or rolled oats
1 & 1/4 cup cherry pie filling
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 oats or 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 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden and the top is lightly browned. Longer baking times will result in a more pie-like bar, while a shorter baking time will yield softer, more cookie-like bars. 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.]
