Cherry Pie Squares
Ingredients:
For the cherry pie filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsps corn starch
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup juice from sour cherries
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 6-8 drops almond extract
- 4 cups drained sour cherries
For the crust/crumble
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
Instructions:
For the cherry pie filling
- Start by combining the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cherry juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes until very thick, whisking constantly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract and butter until melted and smooth. Let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes before folding in the cherries. Set aside while you make the crust and topping.
For the crust/crumble
- Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Cut cold butter into cubes and add to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or a fork to blend the mixture until it looks like pea-sized bits. Don't use a food processor for this as it will make the mixture too fine.
- Add oats and brown sugar and use either a fork or your hands to combine it into a crumbly mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease an 8 x 8" square pan.
- Press half of the crust/crumble mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the cherry pie filling evenly on top.
- Sprinkle with the remaining crumble mixture. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown, and the cherry filling is bubbling.
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares. They will take 2-3 hours to cool. You can definitely serve them warm, but they will fall apart when you lift them out of the pan. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.