Cherry Brown Butter Bars

Guys. I made these things and they are sort of a big deal.

I'm definitely in the "it's always better with browned butter" camp. I was converted after having a bake-off with my brown-butter brownies (which are going to have to be put up here pretty soon) against my mother's traditional brownie recipe. The judges said it was a draw, but I'm pretty sure they only said that because you don't anger the person who's just made you a bunch of brownies. Anyway, I'd been ogling these little beauties over at Smitten for a good long while when my good friend Katrina invited me to her family's Easter barbecue. And then, since I couldn't decide whether to make hot cross buns, mini tarts or these bars, I made them all. Because why not? Someone's gotta support the butter industry.

And luckily, compared to the hot cross buns (which, while incredibly delicious, were extremely step/time consuming and DIDN'T RISE AT ALL) these were super simple to throw together. There's a quick crust at the bottom studded with cherries (I used frozen as HEB and Whole Foods are both stinkers), and it's filled in with a sweet, nutty, complex filling that, if you're my sister, will have you coming back for 7ths. Pop 'er in the oven and BOOM. You are the most popular person at the party. You're welcome.

Cherry Brown Butter Bars (from Smitten Kitchen)
(Makes 12-16)

Crust:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

1 pound sweet cherries, which will yield 12 ounces of pitted cherries OR 1 bag frozen cherries, thawed and drained as best you can--otherwise the juices will stain your lovely bars. 

Crust:
Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Cut two lengths of parchment paper, cross them so that they're perpendicular; cut so that they overhang the sides of your 8x8 or 8x10 baking dish, making a nice little cradle with which you can lift out the bars. Tuck parchment into bottom of pan.

Using rubber spatula or fork, mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl. Add flour and salt and stir until incorporated. Transfer dough to your prepared pan, and use your fingertips to press the dough evenly across the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust until golden, about 18 minutes (it will puff slightly while baking). Transfer crust to rack and cool in pan. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling: 
Cook butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until deep nutty brown--be careful not to burn it!--stirring often and watching carefully, about six minutes. Immediately pour browned butter into glass measuring cup to cool slightly. Whisk sugar, eggs, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add flour and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk browned butter into sugar-egg mixture; whisk until well blended.

Arrange pitted cherries, or the berries of your choice, in bottom of cooled crust. Carefully pour browned butter mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake bars until filling is puffed and golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes--times may vary depending on the oven, so keep an eye on them! Cool bars completely in pan on rack.

Use the parchment paper overhang to carefully remove cooled bars from pan and place them on a cutting board and cut them into squares with a very sharp knife. The cherries, if they fall over your slicing lines, will want to give you trouble but if you saw a sharp knife into them slowly before pressing down, they’ll cut neatly and with minimum carnage.

These can be made at least a day ahead, and stored at room temperature. Any longer, keep them cool in the fridge.