Cherry Cobbler Streusel Bars

Cherry cobbler is a classic summer dessert that just might be even more popular than cherry pie, due to the fact that it is much easier and faster to put together. Cobblers are known for being comfort food, a dish that you can enjoy at home with family, and they are not known for being easy to eat on-the-go. These Cherry Cobbler Streusel Bars are inspired by a traditional cherry cobbler, but baked into a bar form with a buttermilk cake base and a brown sugar streusel on top. They’re simple to put together and are still packed with the flavors that you love from cherry cobblers and crisps.

There are three different components to these bars: the base, the cherries and the topping. The base is a buttermilk cake with a pound cake-like texture. It is spread over the bottom of a rectangular baking dish and then topped with cherries and dried cherries. I oped for a buttermilk base because buttermilk is frequently used in cobblers and it gives a warm buttery flavor and subtle tang to the cake. The streusel is a simple mixture of brown sugar, butter and flour, along with a handful of oatmeal, and it is sprinkled generously over the top of the cherries. The finished bars have a very crisp and sweet topping, plenty of juicy cherries, and a tender cake in every bite.

You can use any kind of cherries for this recipe, including fresh cherries, frozen cherries and jarred cherries. If you are using fresh cherries, they need to be pitted before use. If you are using frozen cherries, you can use them from frozen without defrosting. Frozen cherries are sometimes larger than fresh cherries (not sure why, but I have had some huge ones), so feel free to give them a quick chop if they seem to be the size of small golf balls. Jarred cherries should be packed in juice, not syrup, and need to be drained before use. Since the recipe only uses a pound of cherries, you’ll actually need fewer cherries than you would for a pie or cobbler, even though you’ll get more servings from the recipe.

The bars are at their best within a day or two of baking, when the streusel is crisp and the cherries haven’t released too much of their juice into the tender cake base. If you are storing them longer, you can make them last a couple of extra days by keeping them in the fridge.

Cherry Cobbler Streusel Bars
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz fresh/frozen/jarred cherries
1 cup dried cherries

Streusel Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter using a mixer at low speed or a pastry blender until mixture resembles wet sand.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Pour into flour mixture and stir to make a thick batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread into and even layer.
Top cake batter evenly with cherries and dried cherries.
Make the streusel. Combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
Blend in butter using a mixer at low speed or a pastry blender until mixture resembles wet sand. Sprinkle evenly over fruit, squeezing the strusel mixture in your fist to form larger crumbles.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until top is golden. Cool completely before slicing.

Serves 15.

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