Cherry Pie Shortbread Bars
Buttery shortbread squares with a juicy cherry filling and a walnut-studded crumble top. Each serving includes a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, which is included in the nutrition estimate. Batch yield: 16 substantial cherry shortbread bars, each served with 50 g vanilla ice cream. One serving: 1 baked bar, approximately 145 g, plus 50 g vanilla ice cream; approximately 195 g total. Allow approximately 5 hours 35 minutes from starting to soften the butter to serving. Prep time is total non-oven elapsed time: 60 minutes for butter softening, with cherry preparation, 10 minutes of hob cooking and 30 minutes of filling cooling happening within that hour; 20 minutes for lining and mixing; 5 minutes for assembly; 120 minutes for complete cooling; 60 minutes of refrigeration; and 10 minutes for cutting and topping. Oven time is 20 minutes for the base plus 40 minutes for the assembled bars. Preheating overlaps mixing. Cooling_minutes includes both the 30-minute filling cool and 120-minute final cool; the filling cooling is not counted twice in prep_minutes. Active preparation is approximately 65 minutes and overlaps the softening period. Appliances: Conventional or fan oven; Hob; Electric mixer; Refrigerator; Freezer for keeping ice cream and optional bar storage. Equipment: 23 × 33 cm metal baking tin, at least 5 cm deep; Baking parchment; Kitchen scales; Measuring jug and measuring spoons; Cherry pitter or small knife; Chopping board; Wide saucepan; Large mixing bowl; Wide heatproof bowl; Small bowl; Whisk; Rubber spatula or heatproof spoon; Fork; Cooling rack; Sharp knife; Ice-cream scoop or serving spoon. Allergens: Contains milk, wheat and walnuts. Almond extract may contain almond-derived ingredients. Eggs and soy are possible product allergens in the ice cream; check the chosen products' labels. Choose ice cream labelled suitable for vegetarians and made without gelatin. Nutrition is estimated per bar with its 50 g ice-cream topping; calories are rounded consistently with the listed macronutrients. Storage: After cooling and chilling as directed, store untopped bars airtight in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze untopped bars in a sealed container, separated by parchment, for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Keep the ice cream separately at -18°C or colder and follow its package storage guidance, using within 2 months of opening if no shorter limit is given. Add ice cream immediately before serving. Do not leave topped bars at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C, and do not refreeze melted ice cream.
275 min
Prep
60 min
Cook
16
Serves
605
Calories
Macros · per serving
7g protein
75g carbs
31g fat
Ingredients
For 16 servings
- 450 g Unsalted butter
- 200 g Granulated sugar for the shortbread
- 5 ml Vanilla extract
- 5 ml Almond extract
- 6 g Fine salt for the shortbread
- 500 g Plain all-purpose flour
- 60 g Walnuts, chopped
- 1000 g Sweet cherries, weighed after removing stems and stones
- 225 g Granulated sugar for the filling
- 60 ml Lemon juice
- 24 g Cornstarch
- 1 g Fine salt for the filling
- 800 g Vegetarian vanilla dairy ice cream
Instructions
- 1
Cut the butter into small cubes and leave at room temperature for about 60 minutes, until soft enough to indent easily but not oily. During this hour, prepare the cherries and filling as described below. Wash, stem and pit enough cherries to obtain 1000 g prepared fruit, then halve them.
- 2
Put the cherries, 225 g filling sugar, 30 ml lemon juice and 1 g filling salt into a wide saucepan. Heat gently, stirring, until the cherries release juice, then bring to a steady simmer. Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining 30 ml lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir this slurry into the simmering cherries and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes, until glossy and thick enough that a spoon leaves a brief trail. Allow about 10 minutes total on the hob.
- 3
Transfer the filling to a wide heatproof bowl and leave to cool for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should be no warmer than lukewarm before assembly. This cooling happens during the butter-softening hour.
- 4
Once the butter is soft, preheat the oven to 180°C conventional / 350°F, or 160°C fan / 320°F. Line a 23 × 33 cm, at least 5 cm deep metal baking tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on the two long sides. No greasing is needed.
- 5
Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and 200 g shortbread sugar for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy rather than very fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, almond extract and 6 g shortbread salt. Add the flour and mix on low speed just until moist clumps form and no dry flour remains. Do not taste the raw dough because uncooked flour can carry harmful bacteria.
- 6
Weigh out approximately 390 g dough for the topping. Mix the chopped walnuts into this reserved dough and leave it in a cool spot. Press the remaining approximately 775 g dough evenly into the lined tin, reaching the corners. Prick lightly all over with a fork. Allow about 20 minutes for lining the tin, mixing and pressing the dough.
- 7
Bake the base on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, until its edges are pale gold and the surface looks set. Leave the oven on. The base and finished bars bake sequentially in the same tin; there are no additional tray batches.
- 8
Spread all the cooled cherry filling evenly over the hot base. Break the walnut dough into small, uneven clumps and scatter them over the cherries, leaving some filling visible. Allow about 5 minutes for assembly.
- 9
Return the tin to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown, the edges are well browned and the cherry filling bubbles through gaps near the centre. The topping should look baked and dry, not like soft raw dough.
- 10
Set the tin on a cooling rack and cool completely for about 120 minutes. Refrigerate the cooled slab in its tin for 60 minutes to firm the filling before cutting.
- 11
Lift the cold slab out using the parchment. Cut into a 4 × 4 grid to make 16 bars, allowing about 10 minutes for cutting and serving. Each baked bar should weigh approximately 145 g, depending on moisture loss. Serve each bar with 50 g vanilla ice cream, adding the ice cream only to bars being eaten immediately.
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