Fruit Cheddar Bars
Submitted by Linda Lee
Fruit cheddar bars with sharp cheddar pastry crust layered with peach and strawberry preserves under a lattice top. A sweet-savory combo that surprises every time.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
35 minREADY
60 minSharp cheddar cheese in a dessert bar sounds odd until you taste it. The salty, tangy bite of 2 ½ cups of shredded sharp cheddar baked into a buttery pastry crust plays off sweet peach and strawberry preserves in a way that just works.
Half the pan gets peach preserves, the other half gets strawberry, and a lattice of chilled dough strips lays across the top. The lattice browns beautifully and gives each bar a bakery-shop look with minimal effort.
Cutting the butter into the flour until pea-sized pieces remain is key. Those cold butter pockets create flaky layers in the crust as they melt in the oven. Toss in the shredded cheese gently so it stays in distinct pockets rather than blending into a uniform dough.
Pro Tips
- Use very sharp cheddar. Mild cheddar gets lost against the sweet preserves. You want a cheese with enough bite to hold its own.
- Chill the lattice dough until firm. Soft dough strips will stretch and break when you try to weave them.
- Cool completely before cutting. The preserves stay molten for a long time. Cut too early and you’ll have a sticky mess instead of clean bars.
- Press the crust firmly into the pan. Thin spots will overbrown, and gaps let preserves seep underneath and stick.
Variations
- Apricot and fig: Swap the preserves for apricot and fig jam for a more autumn-leaning flavor.
- Pepper jelly version: Replace one of the preserves with hot pepper jelly for a sweet-spicy-savory triple threat.
- Cream cheese addition: Add 4 ounces softened cream cheese to the dough for an even richer, more tender crust.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Sift the dry ingredients together and cut in the butter until the pieces are the size of peas.
Add the cheese and toss lightly.
Add the eggs and blend well.
Chill one quarter of the dough.
Press the remaining dough into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 15½ x 15½ x ½-inch jelly roll pan.
Spread half the dough with the peach preserves and the other half with the strawberry preserves.
Roll the chilled dough, on a lightly floured surface, to ¼ inch thick.
Cut the dough into ½-inch strips and place the strips diagonally across the top of the preserves making a lattice of the strips.
Press the ends of the dough against the side dough to seal.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool before cutting into 2 x 3-inch bars.
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