Cherry Crumble Bars

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Cherry Crumble Bars

Delicious!

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Cherry Crumble Bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup almond paste (not marzipan)
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (reserve for topping)
• Icing
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Filling
• 2 cups frozen cherries or
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans red tart cherries, packed in water, drain juice from one can
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• pinch of salt

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and grease lightly with vegetable oil.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add almond paste and almond extract. Stir to combine. Add cold butter, cut in with a pastry blender, until crumbly. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside for topping. Put rest of ingredients into prepared pan, spread out evenly, and press with the bottom of a measuring cup to make a crust.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until crust starts to brown slightly around the edges. Remove and leave the oven on.
5. Meanwhile, dump all the filling ingredients into a saucepan and cook on medium high heat until thickened and translucent. About 8 to 10 minutes. Spread the filling over the crust.
6. Sprinkle the top with the reserved crumb mixture and top with the sliced almonds.
7. Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes or until the filling bubbles and the top is golden brown.
8. Let cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
9. Whisk or beat together the icing ingredients and drizzle over bars.

Cherry, Bars, Dessert