Bing Cherry Cobbler Bars

Looking for the perfect dessert to bring to a Fourth of July party this weekend?

These cobbler bars. Do it.

See below for the recipe, and have a happy 4th!

images © cake. | events + design

Bing Cherry Cobbler Bars
recipe adapted from here

makes about 24 bars

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour (I substituted 1c for wheat flour)
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest + juice of one lemon
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups fresh cherries

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. Remove all cherry stems & pits (I used a pitter) and cut cherries into quarters or chop into small pieces.
3. In a medium bowl or a stand mixer, mix together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest.
4.Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough down into the prepared pan.
5. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the cherries. Sprinkle the cherry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the cherry layer.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Allow to cool on counter for 30 min, then place in the fridge to cool for an additional 1-2 hours before cutting into squares.

summer treat: cherry limeade cupcakes

Andrea of It's the Life, sent over these summery sweet treats... cherry lime cupcakes & sodas.  I adore this nostalgic flavor combo because it reminds me of my college days {if you've ever had a snowball on a hot day in New Orleans, you'll understand... cherry lime was always my favorite}. These 'semi-homemade' recipes are easy to follow and fun to decorate... looking forward to giving them a try.

{recipes & images via it's the life}

Cherry Limeade Soda

Mix Up...

12oz Sprite

2 tbls Cherry Flavoring

2-3 Lime Wedges

1-2 Marachino Cherries 

Ice

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

Start with any white cake mix you like and then add three tablespoons of the liquid from the maraschino cherry jar. You could cut up some of the cherries and add them to the batter if you like. I don't like, so I didn't. I just wanted a hint of cherry flavor. Now, bake your cupcakes as you normally would. In the mean time, make a lime glaze. All this is, is 1 cup powdered sugar and the juice of two limes. Stir. You can add more or less lime, depending on how sour you like it. Two limes was just right for me.

When your cupcakes are done, pull them out of the oven and poke holes in the tops with a tooth pick. I poked about 10 holes per cupcake. While they are still warm, spoon some of the glaze on the tops. You don't need much here. Use the back of the spoon to spread it around. The glaze will seep into the cupcake and down through the holes. YUM-O. I let them sit for a few minutes here and then added a second layer of glaze.

At this point, I put some foil over the top of the pan, making sure the foil doesn't touch the cupcakes. I put it in the fridge for a few hours.

When you are ready to serve them, take the cherries from the jar and rinse them in cold water. Spread them out on a paper towel, so all the juice can drain. You don't want to put a maraschino cherry on the top of the cupcake without doing this. It will run red everywhere!

While those dry, make your frosting. I just made a standard butter cream, but used the juice of one lime instead of vanilla flavoring. This didn't make the frosting really lime flavored, just a tiny hint. (2 sticks room temp butter, almost a full bag of powdered sugar, juice of 1 lime and a bit of milk to thin it out)

Fill a pastry bag with frosting. Cut the tip off of the bag and squeeze in a circle around the top of the cupcake. Top with a cherry & straw. Done!