It is cherry picking time!
A couple of Sundays ago, after having lunch with my Dad and the gang (Niener Wiener and Hubby, Jeanie Beanie, Baby Brother, Company and of course The Princess) for Father’s Day, Company and I went to Niener’s to pick a few cherries off of her cherry trees. Niener had already picked all she wanted the day before, on Saturday. Niener picked about 32 cups of cherries and it took her until the wee hours in the morning till she was finally done pitting her cherries. One thing about older sis is that when she starts something, she does not quit!
It was Company’s job to get on the ladder and pick the cherries on top of the trees, that niener could not reach and she left for us to pick. Niener is a wonderful sister, don’t you agree? She also forgot to mention that we had to fight off the neighbor’s chickens (that were eating every cherry we dropped on the ground.) Plus, we were also assaulted by air from a couple of wood peckers who wanted to make the juicy cherries their dessert.
You gotta know that the men LOVED spending Father’s Day, picking cherries. hehe
Here is one of the pesky cherry snatching chicken. Here is some of the cherries I (cough cough) picked.
Here is what we ended up picking. It was about 7 cups of cherries. I bought this handy dandy cherry pitter at Bed Bath and Beyond a couple of years ago. It pits four cherries at a time. I really saved us a bunch of time a couple of night ago, when I decided to make this new recipe I found that called for fresh cherries, at about 8 o’clock at night.
I never said I was very smart : )
Anywho, Company got to work on the cherries, taking the pits out, while I got to work making the crust for the Brown Butter Cherry Bars.
Here is everything you need to make this delicious Brown Butter Cherry Bars. (the cherries are in a bowl behind the vanilla).
You HAVE to line your 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper. I wish that I had brought it up higher on the sides so I could have actually lifted mine out using the parchment paper.
First thing you do is start the crust. Measure out the flour and then add the salt.
Put in the cinnamon and the nutmeg.
In a microwaveable bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar to the butter.
Add in the sugar and the vanilla. Mix the butter and sugars mixture together.
Pour the butter mixture over the flour. Make into a ball of dough.
Take the crust and press it evenly onto the bottom of a 9 by 13 pan. Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes.
Now it is time to brown the butter. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan oven medium heat, stirring constantly.
Cook until it foams up and starts to brown. I poured the browned butter into a measuring cup so you could see the butter. Set the butter aside to cool
Now, lets start the filling. In a medium bowl add the eggs and the sugar.
Add the vanilla. Add in the almond flavoring.
Mix together. Now, add in the flour.
Add in the salt. Pour in the browned butter.
Mix the egg mixture and the browned butter together. Pour the filling over the baked crust.
Spread the filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the cherries over the filling. Pressing the cherries into the filling.
Bale the bars for about 35 to 38 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Let the bars cool completely.
Carefully lift out the bars. The bars cut easier if you freeze the bars for 15 minutes first. (I skipped this step cause I was late for work and the mine cut into bars just fine.)
These bars are wonderful. I love the creamy filling with the tart cherries and the crunch of the sweetened crust. I took some to school and they are all gobbled up. Plus they are so pretty! Perfect to take to a friend.
Here is the recipe:
Brown Butter Cherry Bars
Adapted From Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Bon A petit Magazine
Crust:
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Filling;
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
6 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups pitted fresh cherries
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper. Have the parchment paper come up over the edge of the pan so you can use it to help you lift the bars out of the pan.
To make the crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a microwavable bowl, melt the butter and then combine it with the sugars and vanilla. Add the melted butter mixture to the flour mixture and combine to form a dough. Press the dough evenly onto the bottom of the 9 by 13 pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
Browned butter:
To brown the butter, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly. It will begin to foam and the then turn clear and then it will turn a deep brown. This process will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the butter into a container to cool. (I had some dark sediments that floated to the bottom on my container. I did not add those sediments to my filling)
To make the filling:
To prepare the filling, whisk the eggs, sugar and extracts together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add in the flour and slat and whisk into the egg mixture. Slowly pour the browned butter into the egg mixture, whisking in until smooth.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Arrange the cherries in a single layer across the top. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes o until the filling puffed up and is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To help with removing the bars, chill the bars in the freezer for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the extra parchment paper to remove the bars. Place on a cutting board and cut into bars. Refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
I am sure that you will enjoy these bars!
Enjoy~
Becky
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