🍒 Morello Cherry Jam Crumble Bars
RECIPES & BAKING
Morello Cherry Jam Crumble Bars
Buttery oat crumble bars layered with tart Morello cherry jam: crisp at the edges, soft and jammy in the middle, and ridiculously easy to make.
Quick answer:
Morello cherry crumble bars are an easy traybake made with a buttery oat crumble used for both the base and topping, with a generous layer of tart cherry jam in the middle. They take around 15 minutes to prepare and 30 to 35 minutes to bake, and can be sliced into approximately 16 squares.
There is something unapologetically nostalgic about a crumble bar: that irresistible combination of buttery base, tart fruit and golden, crumbly topping.
Add the rich, dark tang of The Artisan Kitchen Morello Cherry Jam and it becomes something altogether more grown up. Morello cherries have enough acidity to stand up beautifully to all that butter and brown sugar, rather than disappearing beneath the sweetness.
Think of these as the jam bar’s glamorous cousin. They are excellent with coffee, dangerously good straight from the tin, or lovely served slightly warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
Sarah’s kitchen note
The trick here is contrast. You want a generous layer of jam, but enough buttery crumble around it to keep the bars crisp and crumbly. Morello cherry works particularly well because its natural tartness cuts straight through the richness.
An Easy Morello Cherry Jam Traybake
Best of all, there is no pitting, cooking or preparing fresh cherries. The jam provides both the fruit and the intense cherry flavour, so the same crumble mixture can be used for the base and topping.
Our Morello Cherry Jam is made in small batches with whole fruit and has the deep tart-sweet character that makes Morello cherries particularly good for baking.
Recipe at a Glance
Morello Cherry Crumble Bars
Makes: 16 squares
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes
Oven: 180°C / 160°C fan
Tin: 20cm square tin
Ingredients
220g plain flour
100g rolled oats
150g light brown sugar
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
200g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g The Artisan Kitchen Morello Cherry Jam
Optional: flaked almonds or chopped pistachios for the top
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment.
2. Put the flour, rolled oats, light brown sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and mix together.
3. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles damp sand with some small buttery clumps remaining. Alternatively, pulse briefly in a food processor.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract. Tip approximately two-thirds of the crumble mixture into the prepared tin and press it down firmly and evenly to create the base.
5. Spoon the Morello Cherry Jam over the base and spread gently into an even layer, leaving a small border around the edge.
6. Crumble the remaining mixture loosely over the jam. Scatter with flaked almonds or chopped pistachios if using.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the cherry jam is just beginning to bubble around the edges.
8. Leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing into squares. This gives the jam time to settle and makes the bars much easier to cut neatly.
For beautifully neat crumble bars
Let them cool completely before cutting. Warm jam is wonderfully tempting but much less cooperative with a knife.
How to Serve Morello Cherry Crumble Bars
At room temperature, these are somewhere between a biscuit, a flapjack and a fruit crumble, which makes them particularly good with coffee or tea.
For pudding, warm a square gently and add vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or thick pouring cream. The contrast between warm tart cherry, buttery crumble and something cold and creamy is rather lovely.
They also travel well once completely cool, making them useful for picnics, packed lunches and homemade gifts.
Why Morello Cherry Jam Works So Well in Baking
Morello cherries are prized for their pronounced acidity and deep cherry flavour. In a sweet bake, that tartness is particularly useful because it provides contrast rather than simply adding more sweetness.
The Artisan Kitchen Morello Cherry Jam is made in small batches using whole fruit. Its bold tart-sweet character cuts beautifully through the brown sugar, oats and butter in these crumble bars, so the cherry remains the star of the bake.
Morello Cherry Crumble Bars: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use jam in crumble bars?
Yes. A good fruit jam makes crumble bars particularly simple because there is no separate fruit filling to prepare. Spread it directly over the pressed crumble base before adding the topping.
Why use Morello cherry jam?
Morello cherries have a naturally tart flavour that balances the sweetness and richness of the crumble. This gives the finished bars a more pronounced fruit flavour and stops them tasting overly sweet.
How do I stop jam crumble bars falling apart?
Press the bottom layer firmly into the tin and, most importantly, allow the baked bars to cool completely before cutting. The butter and jam firm as they cool, helping the squares hold together.
Can Morello cherry crumble bars be frozen?
Yes. Once completely cool, slice the bars and freeze them in an airtight container with baking parchment between the layers. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
How should I store cherry crumble bars?
Once cool, keep the bars in an airtight container. If your kitchen is particularly warm, storing them somewhere cool will help preserve their crumbly texture.
Bake With The Artisan Kitchen
Morello Cherry Jam
Deep, tart and intensely fruity, our Morello Cherry Jam is lovely on toast and particularly good in baking, from crumble bars and cakes to pastries and puddings.
Recipe by
Chef Sarah Churchill
Sarah Churchill is the chef and founder of The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucester. She has worked professionally with seasonal fruit since founding The Artisan Kitchen in 2011, creating award-winning jams and marmalades and recipes designed to make preserves every bit as useful in the kitchen as they are on toast.
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