Crumble pie bars with homemade zingy cherry jam make the perfect, easy dessert. You can substitute sugar with honey or sweeteners for a completely sugar free recipe. A wonderful treat for a delightful weekend afternoon tea.
When you think about the perfect fruit bar what springs to mind? Sweet, soft, crunchy, zingy or maybe all these things together? If you’re anything like me, and you chose the last option, then look no further because I’m here to present you with the most amazing and delicious dessert ever. Crumble pie bars with the glossy cherry jam – a crazy delicious bake.
The moment I notice that my ‘fruit guy’ (aka the salesman from whom I always buy fruits and veggies) starts selling cherries – my inner child wakes up. This is the sign of the start of my favourite season. I also have one personal tradition. As the pinnacle of the summer months, I need to eat these rich burgundy fruits at the seaside while listening to the sound of dozing waves – and I always do this no matter what.
As you might understand, cherries play an important role in my summer love affair. I absolutely love them and always try to incorporate them in my baking. This helps me in a way to preserve the summer. Don’t let this season go too fast! Keep it close by celebrating these amazing fruits in soft and sweet crumble pie bars.
Crumble Pie Bars Recipe notes
This recipe is easily adaptable with a whole range of different flavours possible. I would like to share some of my suggestions:
- Sugar – swap caster sugar for honey, maple syrup or sweeteners to have a completely sugar-free bake.
- Vanilla sugar is not mandatory and if you cannot find this ingredient, swap it for vanilla extract.
- Cherries – swap them for any berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries etc.) and use the same method to make a glossy and sweet jam.
- Bars – with exactly the same ingredients, you can create the most amazing tart. In this case, blind bake the case for 20 minutes, add the jam (you’d want to use greater quantities of cherries) and finish with the crumble topping.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and let’s begin the Christmas countdown soon!
Recipe
Crumble
300g plain flour
100g ground almonds
30g caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
150g cold butter
1 egg
1 zest of lime
Pinch of salt
Cherry Jam
500g cherries
1 juice of lime
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of cornflour
Vanilla extract
- Prepare the crumble: mix all the ingredients together for the crumble (the plain flour, ground almonds, caster and vanilla sugar, baking powder, egg, zest of one lime, pinch of salt), rubbing-in the cubed cold butter. You will end up with a texture like breadcrumbs. Chill in the fridge for an hour.
- Prepare the cherry jam: halve the cherries and take out the stone. Preheat the saucepan, add the cherries together with the juice of one lime, honey and a splash of vanilla extract. Heat everything up until the cherries soften (around 15 minutes). Add the cornflour. Let it cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
- Assemble the pie: use 2/3 of the crumble and tightly cover the baking dish. Spread the jam on top of the crumble base. Sprinkle the remaining crumble dough on top. Bake the bars for 25 minutes or until the topping is golden.
- Prepare the crumble
- Prepare the cherry jam
