Sweet Cherry Almond Bars are one of the many ways I’m celebrating #cherryseason this year— my buttery almond shortbread crust shows off juicy fresh cherries to perfection.
*This post is in association with The Washington State Fruit Commission. The Commission oversees more than 2,500 growers in the Northwest providing us with the highest quality stone fruit. Thanks for supporting me and the brands I work with, I only bring you the best of the best!
I know, I know, first you’ll want to eat as many cherries as possible right out of hand…I get it. But after you’ve done that, try these, they’re fantastic. This is the first of many things I’ll make with my windfall of Northwest Cherries from Washington State. I’ve been a part of the Canbasador program for a couple of years now, helping to get the word out about Washington State stone fruit and ways to enjoy it. It’s like Christmas morning when my annual shipment of fruit arrives. This year I’m sharing their gorgeous (and ginormous!) sweet cherries.
I’m on a major almond kick after yesterday’s Toasted Almond Milkshake, and luckily cherries and almonds are best buds. Just like in my milkshake, I’ve added layers of almond flavor throughout this easy recipe. The shortbread dough comes together quickly in the food processor, and then part of it forms the bottom crust, and the rest gets crumbled on top of the cherries.
My first bite of one of these Sweet Cherry Almond Bars reminded me that the only way you can get this fresh cherry flavor in baking is to use fresh cherries. Frozen fruit or cherries from cans or jars just isn’t going to cut it. And if you avoid cooking with fresh cherries because of the pitting issue, buy yourself a cherry pitter, it took me only a few minutes to pit the cherries for these bars. You can find these inexpensive gadgets on Amazon, here. I love how they shoot the pits out cleanly and quickly, it’s fun!
Reader Rave ~
“Just have to tell you, I own a home-baking business, with a stall at a local Farmers market here in Vancouver. I made your Cherry Almond bars to sell at last week’s market, and were they ever a hit! Completely sold out, and people were looking for them again this week. I think they will become part of our regular rotation for sure!” ~ Liz
Recipe adapted from Just So Tasty
Sweet Cherry Almond Bars
Ingredients
fruit filling
- about 14 ounces of pitted cherries halved or rough chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
shortbread dough
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) cold, unsalted butter cut in pieces
topping
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Lightly spray an 8x8 baking pan
- 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.
- Put the flour, almond meal, sugar, salt, and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the yolk, extract, and butter, and pulse or process to combine just until the dough comes together, it will be crumbly.
- 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.
- Let cool before cutting.
notes:
- These are delicious for breakfast, so I keep the leftovers loosely covered on the counter overnight.
- If you don’t like almond extract, use vanilla extract instead.
- You can make your own almond meal by grinding whole almonds in a food processor.
48 Comments
Bridie
August 23, 2020 at 12:27 pmI made these delicious cherry bars for my family. It’s perfect for using up summertime cherries. The recipe was easy to follow and the result was yummy. I followed the instructions and ingredients exactly. The result is a chewy, nutty bar cookie. I don’t recommend eating these on the couch! Very moist and crumbly. Thanks for sharing this.
Bernice
August 21, 2020 at 7:27 amI’m making these this morning! I made the blackberry recipe you sent already and I’m going to do these, I have to take to a bible study tonight and wanted to bring both! So excited! I did not have time to order a cherry pitter, but will because, I had to use another tool last night to get the cherries ready and my hands are still a bit purple!
Gina
August 20, 2020 at 10:04 amIs it 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter or just 1/2 a stick?
Sue
August 20, 2020 at 11:05 amHi Gina, it’s one stick, or 1/2 cup. Sorry for the confusion, my recipe plugin stripped away the parentheses!
Robyn Allan
June 24, 2020 at 7:25 pmHoly moly I just made these and WOW! The recipe is simple and accurate, the flavours are brilliant and the finished result will impress anyone! I can’t stop eating them!
Anne Manke
June 20, 2020 at 8:10 amAbsolutely delicious!
Anne-Louise Hill
May 27, 2020 at 8:56 pmAbsolutely delicious. I used cherries that weren’t the greatest but boy did they shine in this recipe. Excellent flavour and texture.
Sue
May 28, 2020 at 6:48 amJust imagine when the good summer cherries come in this year…:)
Anne
August 7, 2019 at 7:51 pmSooo delicious. One of my guests ate three?
Sue
August 7, 2019 at 8:17 pmScore!
Cheryl
August 6, 2019 at 6:31 amThese look delicious! And I was just gifted almost 2 lbs. of sweet cherries, so going to try doubling recipe & making in a 9×13 pan. Love the combo of cherries with almond! Thanks for the recipe! ?
Becca
June 17, 2019 at 5:19 amI made these with fresh sour cherries (after following the link from your sour cherry bars) — we added a 3rd tablespoon of sugar and otherwise did it exactly as written. They were perfect — the sour shined through but wasn’t overpowering at all and really sang with the almonds
Sarah
July 18, 2018 at 9:49 amWhat could you sub for the almond meal/flour?
Sue
June 4, 2019 at 2:08 pmYou can just use regular flour if you like.
Natalie
July 16, 2018 at 7:57 amWhat would be the best way to keep them? I am going on a vacation this weekend for a week (we leave Friday) and due to limited resources on our trip was hoping to make use of some fresh picked cherries with this recipe. Would I be able to freeze the bars and reheat them next week? Wouks they be okay in the fridge?
Sue
July 16, 2018 at 8:02 amI think they would freeze well, and I don’t think you’d need to reheat them, just defrost. They will last in the refrigerator a few days, so that would depend on how close to your departure you can make them.
Fiona
September 28, 2016 at 12:45 pmThanks so much for trying & sharing my recipe! Yours look delicious – and I love that you made them in the food processor. So smart!
Sue
September 28, 2016 at 1:03 pmThanks Fiona, they’re delicious!
Renee
July 31, 2016 at 6:27 pmWondering if I can use frozen, thawed cherries. Cherries are in season now, but would be great to be able to make these year-round!
Sue
July 31, 2016 at 7:08 pmYou could definitely do that, Renee, and I think you could also use a good cherry preserve, too.
Beth
June 17, 2019 at 5:59 pmDid you try them with frozen cherries?
Tam
July 10, 2016 at 4:54 pmThank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made these tonight and they were just perfect. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand as cherries are on sale this week! This was just delicious. I loooooove almonds and cherries as well. It was the perfect combination of the two. A perfect summer fruit recipe. Thanks again!
Sue
July 10, 2016 at 6:03 pmYou’re so welcome Tam, I’ve made so many crumble bars like this that I had a pretty good idea they’d be delicious, but the fresh cherries mixed with the almond really puts it over the top for me. Thanks for coming back to let us know they worked for you 🙂
Donna
July 8, 2016 at 12:31 pmI am wondering if these can be frozen . . . I would like to make them now while the cherries are available for a party next month
Donna
July 8, 2016 at 12:26 pmAny idea if you can freeze these . . . I would like to make some now for a party next month
Sue
July 8, 2016 at 12:28 pmThey should freeze fine, Donna. Wrap them well!
cheri
June 26, 2016 at 7:23 pmThe cherries are so good right now, love this recipe. Pinned!!!
Jane
June 25, 2016 at 3:27 pmI wish someone who actually made these would comment!!!!!!
Sue
June 25, 2016 at 7:50 pmI’ve made it Jane — and it’s fabulous!! 😉
Katherine | Omnivore's Cookbook
June 21, 2016 at 11:40 amLove that bright color, the textures and flavors!
Sue
June 22, 2016 at 8:29 amThanks Katherine!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
June 21, 2016 at 7:31 amI LOVE everything about these bars. What a perfect dessert for any occasion and sweet cherries are always a great idea. Pinning and sharing~!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners
June 21, 2016 at 6:26 amOh my goodness, how perfectly delicious are these?! Everyone in my family craves cherries so these will be a big hit and I’ll be sharing the recipe with lots of cousins too. The anticipation! lol
Medeja
June 21, 2016 at 4:23 amI love cherries! I would enjoy these bars so much!
Laura | Tutti Dolci
June 20, 2016 at 5:36 pmBe still my heart, Sue! These bars are pure heaven! <3
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
June 20, 2016 at 4:20 pmI love cherry anything and especially the cherry almond combination. These bars are beautiful!!
Farida
June 20, 2016 at 12:46 pmlooks fantastic , as all your recipes, a huge fan!
Chris Scheuer
June 20, 2016 at 12:05 pmI’m in love! I’m a huge cherry lover and these look fantastic!! I’m crazy about my cherry pitter. You’re right, pitting cherries is a huge pain but with one of those guys, it’s quick, easy and FUN!
Chris @ SimpleFood365
June 20, 2016 at 9:41 amGrowing up in the Northwest, I remember eating cherries like these right off the trees in the backyard! I love what you did with them here! That is a dessert I could get behind!
Sue
June 20, 2016 at 9:52 amThat’s kind of my dream, I’ve never picked a cherry from a tree!
Ludmilla
June 20, 2016 at 9:14 amIt’s such a perfect time to make dessert using fresh and seasonal fruits, they are so inexpensive right now!! These bars looks delicious!
Sue
June 20, 2016 at 9:20 amI know — grab ’em while you can!!
Susan
June 20, 2016 at 9:04 amAlmonds and cherries are two of my favorite things! These look so tempting and delicious, Sue!
Vicci | It's Cheat Day Everyday
June 20, 2016 at 9:01 amYou had me at almonds!!! Probably one of my top 5 favorite foods of all time, and the fact that they are paired with fresh, juicy cherries? Oh, I can only imagine not only how good these taste, but the aroma that will fill my kitchen when I make these. Nom!
Thanks for sharing!
Sue
June 20, 2016 at 9:10 amI have to agree with you about almonds, they are so incredibly versatile, too!
Kylee
June 20, 2016 at 8:53 amOoooh, the sprinkling of almonds on top sends these over the EDGE of delicious!!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
June 20, 2016 at 8:46 amThese are so beautoful and the perfect way to make the most of cherries. I am going to go and buy some cherries now.
Sue
June 20, 2016 at 8:59 amThe cherries are perfect right now — enjoy!