Best Cherry Bars with Brown Butter

1. Gather all the ingredients. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Line a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Pit cherries and toss them with 2 tsp flour.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine melted butter, vanilla, and sugar. Mix on medium speed until well blended and smooth.
4. Blend in flour and salt and stir until incorporated.
5. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
6. Bake until the crust is golden and slightly puffed, about 18 minutes. When the crust is done, transfer it to a wire rack and cool it in the pan.
7. Meanwhile, let’s make the filling. Cut the butter into pieces and place it in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter completely stirring frequently with the spatula. As the butter heats, it will begin to foam and then bubble. After several minutes, the milk solids will start to become brown on the bottom of the pan. Make sure that milk solids do not stick to the pan. Continue stirring until the butter is evenly browned, being careful not to burn. Remove from the heat and pour browned butter into a glass bowl to cool slightly.
8. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine eggs, sugar, salt, and extracts in a medium bowl and whisk all together.
9. Gradually blend in flour by ⅓ at a time, but do not overmix.
10. Gradually blend in browned butter and whisk mixture until completely blended.
11. Arrange cherries over cooled crust. Carefully pour the filling evenly over the fruit.
12. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for about 30 minutes, until the filling is puffed and golden. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully lift the parchment paper to remove the cooled bars from the pan and place them on a cutting board. Cut them into squares using a knife.

To Store

1. Store bars in an airtight container for up to one day at room temperature, then store any remaining in the refrigerator.