Gluten-Free Chocolate Covered Cherry Bars That Really Deliver

I pitted an absurd number of cherries this week to perfect this recipe. Originally I set out to make a cherry galette, which ended in a messy failure — but that misstep led to these chocolate covered cherry bars, and I think the result is worth the effort.

Chocolate covered cherry bars are as delicious as they sound

After the galette attempt, I wanted something that captured cherry pie filling without the fuss of a full pie and that evoked the flavor of a chocolate covered cherry — a favorite childhood treat. These bars do exactly that and justify the amount I spent on cherries this season.

If you’re working with fresh cherries, a cherry pitter will make the job much faster. I recommend one that pits multiple cherries at once if you have a lot to process; if you don’t, tearing the cherries in half after pitting them is a quick way to ensure there are no hidden pits.

The recipe has a few steps, but none are difficult. It’s not a dump-and-bake dish: you’ll prepare a crust/topping, a fruit filling, assemble, bake, and finish with a simple ganache. If you’re comfortable with basic baking tasks, you’ll be fine.

Here’s the workflow in short:

1. Make the crust/topping. The same dough serves as both crust and crumble topping; a food processor speeds this up but isn’t required.
2. Make the cherry filling. Pitting takes the longest, but the actual filling comes together quickly with sugar, starch, and lemon juice.
3. Assemble. Press two-thirds of the dough into the pan, add the cherries, then crumble the remaining dough over the top.
4. Make the ganache. Heat cream (or coconut milk) and pour it over chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth.

Ingredients you’ll need to make chocolate covered cherry bars:

• almond flour
• tapioca starch (or arrowroot)
• coconut sugar
• butter (or dairy-free alternative)
• egg
• vanilla extract (optional)
• lemon juice
• dark chocolate
• heavy cream or full fat coconut milk

If you prefer a more classic cherry pie flavor, you can skip the chocolate; these bars are excellent either way.

Note: The bars must be completely cool before cutting, so allow time for chilling. I like to make them a day ahead and add the ganache the day I plan to serve them. Once cooled, cover tightly in the refrigerator.

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• Author: zenbelly
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus time to chill
• Yield: 12 bars
• Category: dessert

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 cup tapioca starch (arrowroot works too)
• 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced (plus more for greasing the pan)
• 1 egg

For the Filling:

• 2 pounds cherries, pitted and halved
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch (or arrowroot)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

For the chocolate ganache:

• 4 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup when chopped)
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk

Instructions

Make the Crust and Topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking dish. Lining with parchment is optional; grease the parchment if you use it.
2. In a food processor, pulse together almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, vanilla, and salt.
3. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Add the egg and pulse just until the dough begins to come together.
5. Turn the dough onto plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Make the cherry filling and assemble:

1. Pit and halve the cherries.
2. In a large bowl, combine coconut sugar, tapioca starch, and lemon juice. Stir in the cherries.
3. Press two-thirds of the dough into the prepared baking dish, bringing it about 1/2 inch up the sides. Add the cherry filling and crumble the remaining dough over the top.
4. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until the top is golden and the cherries are bubbly. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
5. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into 9 or 12 squares.
6. Drizzle with chocolate ganache, chill briefly to set the chocolate, then serve at room temperature.

To make the chocolate ganache:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until steaming, pour it over the chocolate, and stir until smooth.

Notes

Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing; they are thick and need several hours to chill. Preparing them a day ahead works well—cover with plastic wrap once fully cooled.

Ganache thickens as it cools, so make it just before you plan to drizzle. If it firms up too much, gently rewarm it in the microwave or over a bowl of hot water.

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