Sweet Cherry Almond Bars

Recipe by The View From the Great Island

Sweet Cherry Almond Bars are one of the many ways I’m celebrating the cherry season this year- buttery almond shortbread shows off juicy cherries to perfection.

Ingredients

• fruit filling
• 14 oz of pitted cherries ( halved or rough chopped)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ juice of lemon
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• shortbread dough
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ cup almond meal or almond flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter (cut in pieces)
• topping
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

Method

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Lightly spray an 8x8 baking pan
3. Stir together the cherries with the sugar, lemon juice, extract, and cornstarch. Set aside, tossing occasionally to encourage some of the juices to start flowing.
4. Put the flour, almond meal, sugar, salt, and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
5. Add the yolk, extract, and butter, and pulse or process to combine just until the dough comes together, it will be crumbly.
6. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of your pan to form the crust. Top with the cherries. Then crumble the remaining dough evenly over the cherries. Top with the sliced almonds and bake for about 40 minutes until the dough is just golden and the filling is bubbling.
7. Let cool before cutting.

View the recipe instructions at The View From the Great Island