I gotta be honest—for some of us, finding fresh sour cherries in-season is just about as common as seeing Sasquatch in the wild. Maybe you’ve heard about their notoriously short harvest, which lasts barely a few weeks, or you’ve seen blurry photos and shaky, black-and-white VHS recordings of their fleeting presence at the farmers’ market.
Sour cherries, also known as tart cherries, are bright red and smaller than sweet cherry varieties, like Rainier or Bing. (Fun fact: A single tart cherry tree can produce enough cherries for almost 30 pies!) Clearly harnessing the power of being in demand and seldom seen, the captivating tart cherry has summer wrapped around its little pit.
Simply Recipes / Lauren Bair
Why I Love Martha Stewart’s Sour Cherry Crumble Bars
I recently discovered tart cherry extract for muscle recovery, and somehow didn’t realize it came from fruit that you could also eat. So as soon as I saw Martha Stewart’s Sour Cherry Crumble Bars pop up on her Instagram, I instantly knew I had to try her sweet-tart dessert.
With just six ingredients, these bars feel like potable cherry pie—they’re marvelously crumbly on top, sturdy enough to hold in your hand, loaded with luscious, jammy filling, and buttery enough to melt in your mouth.
Seconds after I discovered the recipe, I was scrolling through infinite online forums full of people not being able to find tart cherries, contrasted by stories from bakers in Michigan (The No. 1 tart cherry producer in the U.S.) who have so many that they freeze them to enjoy year-round.
Where I live in L.A., total chaos erupts at the first ruby-hued sighting. I’m not jealous, but I am obviously moving to Traverse City, Michigan for next summer’s National Cherry Festival with 17 empty suitcases for my future fruit haul.
Luckily, I didn’t have to miss out on summer’s tart cherry party by Amazon Prime-ing jarred sour cherries right to my door. (You can also sometimes find them canned or frozen at the grocery store.) These dessert bars put the zing in sour cherry season, and now that I’ve got “my cherry guy” on lock, I’ll be making Martha’s treats on repeat.
Simply Recipes / Lauren Bair
Tips for Making Sour Cherry Crumble Bars
- If you can’t find sour cherries, you can sub with sweet—just be sure to cut back on the sugar in the filling (or go wherever your sweet tooth takes you).
- If you’re using jarred or canned cherries, remember to drain off the extra water or syrup before adding the rest of the filling ingredients.
- Martha advises buttering your pan, lining it with parchment, and then buttering the parchment, too. I felt like I was auditioning for “My Strange Butter Addiction,” but I’m still team What Would Martha Do?, so I followed her lead. My dessert easily lifted out of the pan like it was ascending to heaven.
- Let your bake cool for about an hour before cutting, or scoop it up like a standard crumble while it’s hot, and top it with vanilla ice cream.
