The moment I laid eyes on this Triple-Cherry Streusel Bar recipe from the upcoming Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful by Barbara Fairchild, I knew it was the perfect sweet for this month’s Eat My Blog charity bake sale. Cherries are one of my favorite summertime treats, and this bar captures their fruity profile using a combination of dried Bing cherries, tart cherry preserves, and cherry brandy.
I tested the recipe with two different streusel toppings—The Astronomer loved the cinnamon-laced one from the original recipe, but I ultimately preferred a topping recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. The mounds of buttery streusel flecked with almonds and brown sugar rounded out the flavors just right. I invite you to eat my blog on June 19.
For filling
- 1 cup dried Bing (sweet) cherries
- 1 cup tart red cherry preserves
- 2 tablespoon kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
For crust and streusel
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces and softened
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
For the filling, combine cherries, cherry preserves, and kirsch in a food processor; blend to chunky puree. The filling can be made one day ahead. Transfer to bowl; cover and refrigerate.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Beat in 16 tablespoons of butter with an electric mixer at low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Reserve 1 1/4 cups of the mixture for the topping.
Sprinkle the remaining mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake the crust until fragrant and the edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.
Mix the reserved flour mixture, oats, and brown sugar together in a medium bowl. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and pinch the mixture between your fingers into hazelnut-nut size clumps of streusel. Lastly, add in the nuts.
Spread the cherry filling over the baked crust. Sprinkle streusel topping over. Bake the bars until cherry filling is bubbling and streusel topping is golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Let the bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about two hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil, cut into squares and serve.
Makes 24 bars.
Triple-cherry filling recipe from Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful. Crust and streusel recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.
I WANT. Why must I be out of town for Eat My Blog?? Why?!
yum! no doubt the desserts will be great…but was also amazed by the creative packing last year..
YUM! I can’t wait to get my paws on one of these…better than hitting the real triple cherry jackpot
Mmmmmmm yep, definitely want to eat your blog. I like your choice of topping here – almonds and cherries are a brilliant match!
You had me at triple cherry. Wow, do these look good – but I think you’ve got a typo in the ingredients list. You have 2-1/4 cups butter, but I think it should be 2-1/4 sticks of butter (based on 16 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons as referenced in the directions).
You’ve got a sharp eye, Kelly! Thanks! Edit made 😉
Glad to be of service. I’ve finally subscribed to your blog – don’t know why it’s taken me so long. 🙂
Looks delish and beautiful!!
Cathy those look delicious. I hoping to be at the Eat My Blog Bake Sale so I can pick up one of these cherry delights.
Oh wow, this look fabulous! I can’t wait to try these!
xxMK
Delightful Bitefuls
I am buying these! 🙂
damn those look so good
wow i can’t wait to buy these! i love cherries and triple cherry i mean come on ah-mazing! see you at Eat My Blog i will have UBE cupcake in tow 🙂
I want this too! ‘Nuff said!
looking forward to this at Eat My Blog! So… my pousse for your streusel? 😉
will be giving this a shot soon. beautiful pictures as usual. i was just thinking about your rosemary apricot bars too recently and wanted to make a batch. not sure now which one i’ll do first =)
Will you confirm how much cherry preserves to use? I’m thinking it should be 17.5 oz but it says “17.5 ounces cups tart red cherry preserves”
Also, do you think it would be possible to do this with fresh cherries instead of dried?
Samantha – The recipe has been updated. Thank you.
These are in the oven right now! I double checked the measurements and the size of the pan, but if I make these again I will use a 9 x 9 pan OR double the recipe for the filling. I didn’t quite have enough of the filling to make the layer as thick as I’d like.