cherry pie crumble bars

To be honest, I never loved eating cherries (only because I don't really like the seeds in them). But when they're pitted, halved, and sandwiched between a moist, yet crumbly bar, and served with a side of coffee, they become one of my favorite things to eat.

+BLOVIN’+

Cherry Pie Crumble Bars 1-2 dozens

Ingredients 1/2 lb. or 4 cups of cherries, pitted and halved 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp orange Juice 1 tsp baking powder 1 large egg 2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease OR line with wax/ parchment paper in a 9x13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients -- flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then, using a pastry cutter (or fork if you don't have one), blend in butter and egg until mixture becomes pea size crumbs. Split dough mixture in two.  Use one half of  dough mixture to line the bottom of the pan. Bake in oven for 5 minutes.

While bottom "crust" is baking, combine (in a separate bowl) orange juice, cinnamon, 1 cup of the leftover dough mixture (there should be more leftover), and slowly fold in cherries. Remove crust from oven, spread the cherry/ dough mixture evenly over the crust. Pinch remaining dough mixture over the cherry layer.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes at 375 degrees until top is slightly browned. Let cool, cut into squares and serve with a side of milk or coffee. Tip: If you're having a hard time cutting up the bars, throw them in the freezer for a few minutes and then run a knife through them!