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These mouthwatering Cherry Crumble Shortbread Bars feature a combo of buttery shortbread, topped with a juicy cherry filling, then finished with a golden oat crumble, a perfect treat to enjoy cherries!
I used to have a firm rule of no fruit desserts.
Growing up, I never really liked anything that combined fruit and dessert. Fruit was healthy, and dessert had to feature indulgent chocolate.
As I started baking, fruits offered such a fun opportunity to experiemnts with a variety fo tastes, combinations and color palletes, how could I resist?
These cherry shortbread crumble bars are a perfect example of juicy cherries combined with a warm oaty, cinamonny crumble that just works together!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
These Cherry Shortbread Crumble Bars are such a delicious dessert, that is actually very easy to put together.
It looks impressive with the layers and the pop of color of with the cherries, but is made quite quickly in one pan!
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more fruity desserts, here are some of our favorites:
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies
- Peach Ricotta Toast
- Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
- Raspberry and White chocolate blondies
Ingredients & Notes
- Shortbread Base – using a simple recipe with unsalted butter, flour, and sugar. You can use salted butter, but omit the salt in the recipe if you prefer.
- Cherry Filling – I used about 2 cups of pitted cherries here, you can use more or less if you prefer. Make sure to coat the cherries in flour and lemon juice for best results.
- Crumble Topping – a combination of brown sugar, oats and butter add the final touches to bring these bars together!
- Baking Pan – This recipe was made for an 8×8 pan. I prefer square baking pans with straight edges.
How to make Cherry Shortbread Crumble Bars?
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare an 8×8-inch pan by lining it with parchment paper. Leave a little overhang so that you can remove the bars easily once baked.
Shortbread Base
To a bowl, add all the ingredients for the shortbread base (butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt).
Mix until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
Transfer the mixture to the parchment paper-lined pan and press the dough down to form the shortbread base. You can use a spoon or your fingers.
Cherry Filling
To a bowl, add pitted cherries. Top with sugar, flour and lemon juice.
Mix until the cherries are fully coated.
Transfer the cherry filling to the baking pan and spread evenly over the shortbread base.
Crumble Topping
Mix rolled oats, brown sugar, and melted butter until the oats are fully coated.
Drop spoonfuls of the crumble topping into the baking pan to cover the cherry layer evenly.
Cherry Crumble Shortbread Bars
Bake in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, until the top is a golden brown.
Let the bars cool completely.
Slice into 9 large or 12 smaller pieces and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- When preparing the baking pan, make sure to use a piece of parchment slightly larger than your baking pan so you have overhang. It will help when you remove the bars from the pan
- Cool these cherry bars completely before cutting into them. I left them in the fridge overnight to firm up and they tasted great the next day.
- These bars will keep fresh for 2-4 days. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for 2-3 months if you prefer.
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more easy dessert recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Biscoff Cookie Butter Blondies
- Easy Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Cookie Butter Banana Muffins
- S’mores Brownies
Follow me on Instagram @sprinklesandscribbles for more baking inspiration!
Cherry Crumble Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Base
- ½ cup white granulated sugar 100 grams
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 227 grams or 2 sticks
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 300 grams
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cherry Filling
- 2 cups cherries, pitted
- 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar 1/4 cup
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ lemon, juiced or 1 tbsp lemon juice
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup brown sugar, light brown 100 grams
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 57 grams or ½ stick of butter
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8×8-inch pan by lining it with parchment paper. Leave a little overhang so that you can remove the bars easily once baked.
Shortbread Base
- To a bowl, add all the ingredients for the shortbread base (butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt).½ cup white granulated sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder
- Mix until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Transfer the mixture to the parchment paper-lined pan and press the dough down to form the shortbread base. You can use a spoon or your fingers.
Cherry Filling
- To a bowl, add pitted cherries. Top with sugar, flour and lemon juice.2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 2 cups cherries, pitted, 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar, ½ lemon, juiced
- Mix until the cherries are fully coated.
- Transfer the cherry filling to the baking pan and spread evenly over the shortbread base.
Crumble Topping
- Mix rolled oats, brown sugar, and melted butter until the oats are fully coated.½ cup brown sugar, light brown, 1 cup rolled oats, ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Drop spoonfuls of the crumble topping into the baking pan to cover the cherry layer evenly.
Cherry Crumble Shortbread Bars
- Bake in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, until the top is a golden brown.
- Let the bars cool completely.
- Slice into 12 pieces and enjoy!
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