Cherry Brown Butter Bars

These are from a great website, Smitten Kitchen. The cherries are yummy in them - my first time baking with cherries, and I'm pleasantly surprised. :) The recipe calls for using parchment paper to line the baking pan, but you could probably just use some baking spray.

**This recipe will be a lot easier to make if you have a cherry pitter. I found one at Bed, Bath, & Beyond that pits 4 cherries at once and was $15.

Cherry Brown Butter Bars

crust:
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 c plus 1 Tbsp flour
pinch of salt

filling:
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/4 c flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c unsalted butter, diced
12 oz fresh cherries, pitted

Make crust:
-Preheat oven to 375. Line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
-Using a rubber spatula or fork, mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the flour and salt and stir to combine.
-Use your fingers to press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a cooling rack. (Keep the oven on at 375.)

Make filling:
-Cook the butter in a heavy small saucepan (a lighter-colored one will make it easier to see when the butter is ready) over medium heat until the butter is a deep nutty brown. Stir it often to be sure it doesn't burn. When it's the right color (it will smell a bit like butterscotch), pour immediately into a glass measuring cup to cool slightly.
-Whisk the sugar, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Add the flour and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the browned butter until well-blended.
-Arrange the pitted cherries onto the cooled crust. Carefully pour the filling mixture evenly over the fruit.
-Bake until puffed and golden, and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
-Cool completely in the pan.
-These can be stored at room temperature for a day; after that, refrigerate them.