There is a certain person in my life that I love very much (okay, it’s my mom) who has what I like to think of as part-time gluten intolerance. Will she eat a really delicious homemade pasta dish that I make? Yes. But, in general, she feels better if she mostly sticks to gluten-free foods. For her, and many others, they are cherry lemon pie snacks.
It took me a few tries to figure out these lemon cherry pie snacks. I used almond flour for the crust (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill brand) which worked so well. Additionally, I used real lemons and cherries. There is no artificial business in these guys.
I honestly think they are better than a gluten filled variation of the same recipe. The crust is perfectly soft, but holds up surprisingly well to the filling.
They are a bit of work, sure. But definitely worth it!
Preparation of the almond crust
It’s similar to a graham cracker crust, but actually easier to make. No need to crack a cracker!
I really recommend Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour if you want to try it. This is very high quality ground almonds.
Mix in the sugar and salt and then pour in the melted butter. You can mix it all together in a small bowl and it will almost have the consistency of cookie dough when it’s done.
To finish the crust, you need to bake it before you add the filling or it will be too mushy. Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil for easier removal later and then press the crust in. I just used my fingers to tuck it into the edges and up a bit on the sides. Try to make it as even as possible, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bake the crust at 350°C for 20 minutes until golden brown and set in place.
Custard pie filling
There are a lot of cherry pie bars online that only use cherries, but I like to add this layer of custard to these sticks, which helps it last, but doesn’t detract from the cherry flavor.
please. please! Use fresh lemons for this. Do not use the jar lemon juice. It’s too acidic. Take the time to grate and juice a few lemons and your efforts will be well rewarded.
Mix together the filling ingredients in a bowl. Whisk it well to make sure the cornstarch doesn’t crystallize.
Then pour the texture pie filling into the baked crust. I just love the color here.
It should bake a second time for about 15 minutes until it just starts to set.
The cherry swirl
Again, I went with real cherries here. In short, you can use cherry preserves, but since you have to wait for the crust and pie filling to bake anyway, you might as well go the extra mile!
Finely chop some thawed dark cherries and add them to a small saucepan with sugar. Cook it for a few minutes and continue to mash the cherries as they cook. Then mix in the cornstarch and water mixture. Whenever you add cornstarch to a hot liquid like this, it’s always best to dissolve the cornstarch in water or it will just solidify.
Cook it for another minute or two on low heat and then remove it from the heat. It will thicken nicely as it cools.
Finish the pie bars
When the lemon bars come out of the oven, the filling will still be noisy and not fully set. Don’t worry about it. This will be set as the bars cool. While the capper is still loose, add the cherry swirl filling to it so you can swirl it into the filling.
Use a knife to turn it and then let the bars cool to room temperature.
Then cool them in the refrigerator for at least a few hours (or overnight).
Then you can carefully lift them out of the pan and peel off the foil. perfect!
Cut the bars into 12 uniform pieces and dust them with powdered sugar and a little extra lemon zest if desired.
Even if you’re a gluten lover (me), these are some of the best lemon bars you’ll find. Guaranteed to make friends, especially gluten-free friends!
Exchanges and ideas
These are actually quite a flexible bar. You can easily change the recipe by using different fruits like blueberries or peaches.
You can also add some extracts to the pie layer to enhance the flavors. A teaspoon of almond extract will bring out more of these flavors or you can add vanilla extract.
In short, you can just use canned cherry pie filling or apple filling to swirl the bars, but I prefer the swirl with cooked fresh fruit.
My cherry lemon pie bar recipe
Cherry Lemon Pie Snacks
Gluten free and made with real lemons and cherries. Spicy and bright fruit flavors with just enough sweetness.
membrane:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ Goblet Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 6 spoons unsalted butter dissolved
Pie Layer:
- 1 Goblet Sugar
- 3 Big balls
- ½ Goblet Fresh lemon juice About 3
- 2 spoons Almond meal
- 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons Corn starch
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda powder
Cherry Swirl:
- 1 ½ cups Dark cherries thawed
- 2 spoons Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Corn starch + 1 tablespoon of water
- sugar powder decorate
- Lemon zest decorate
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Heat oven to 350 °F. In a medium bowl, mix almond flour, brown sugar and salt. Whisk together then stir in melted butter. Mix until combined.
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Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil for easy removal and press the almond meal crust into the lined pan, working it slightly upwards at the edges. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
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For the lemon filling, the peel and juice of 2-3 lemons and whisk all the ingredients together until a uniform mixture is obtained. Make sure the cornstarch does not clump together.
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At the end of baking the crust, pour lemon filling and return to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
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While lemon bars are baking, finely chop thawed cherries. Add to a small pot with cherry juice and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes to thicken. Mash the cherry mixture as it cooks with a fork. Then add cornstarch + water mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
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When lemon bars come out of the oven, top with a dollop of cherry medley and use a knife to gently swirl it into the bars.
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Let the lemon bars cool to room temperature. Then cover them with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least a few hours (or overnight).
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When ready to serve, remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil. Peel the foil from the sides of the bars and cut them into 12 uniform pieces. Dust snacks with powdered sugar and extra lemon zest.
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Store additional bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
dose: 1barCalories: 295KKLCarbohydrates: 35Gprotein: 6GFat: 17GSaturated fat: 5GPolyunsaturated fat: 0.4GUnsaturated fat: 2Gtrans fat: 0.2GCholesterol: 56mgsodium: 161mgpotassium: 72mgfiber: 2GSugar: 30Gvitamin: 246IUVitamin C: 5mgcalcium: 56mgiron: 1mg
did you do that?
Take a picture and tag @macheesmo So I can see your work.
