Cherry Bars

After living in Michigan while I completed my graduate work, my love for cherries grew by leaps & bounds.  I have always been a fan of dark sweet cherries… but that love has met it’s match.

Tart cherries, or pie cherries, have won my heart.  Look for them at mid-summer hailing from Traverse City, Michigan, the cherry capitol of the world.  Then, make these bars.  

Of course we “healthified” the recipe – simple changes that really add up in terms of health, not taste!  Each bar (using homemade pie filling) has 100 calories and 2.4 grams of fat.  The original recipe had 240 cals bar and 9 grams of fat.  Now that’s more like it!

Cherry Bars – Adapted from Lick the Bowl Good

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 1/4 C applesauce
• 1/2 C {heaping} sugar
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Cherry Pie Filling (1 can, or make your own) 
• Powdered Sugar

Directions

Begin by creaming together 1/4 C butter, 1/4 C applesauce (fee free to use more applesauce if desired and adjust the butter accordingly), heaping 1/2 C sugar and 1/4 C brown sugar. 

Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until well blended.

In a small bowl, combine 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour with 3/4 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Sift to combine. 

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix until well blended. 

Reserve 3/4 C of batter.  Then, pour the remaining batter into a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish.  Spread with a lightly greased spatula until even. 

Grab your cherry pie filling.  If you are able, make your own.  All you need is tart cherries (frozen is fine), sugar, corn starch and water. 

Just make sure the pie filling is cooled before you proceed! 

Pour the pie filling over the crust layer.

Then, drop the remaining 3/4 C batter by the spoonful over the dough. 

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the dough is slightly browned. 

Cool. 

Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired. 

Cut and serve!