Description
Bright and buttery cherry pie bars are the most delicious dessert bar! With a sweet cherry filling made with canned cherry pie filling, you can enjoy these bars year-round, whenever you crave the taste of homemade cherry pie! Recipe makes 16 bars.
Ingredients
Crust & Crumbs
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp pure almond extract
- 3 Tbsp (22 g) sliced almonds (optional)
Filling
- 21 oz (570 g) cherry pie filling
- 2 tsp (6 g) cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp (15 g) water
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
- pinch of salt
Glaze
- 1/2 Tbsp (7 g) unsalted butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp (2 g) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp (15 g) milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make crust and crumble: Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk together melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl until combined. Add dry ingredients and fold in until incorporated.
- Set aside 3/4 cup (220 g) of dough for topping, mixing in sliced almonds until mixture is crumbly. Chill until ready to use. Press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan.
- Bake crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
- Make filling: Place cherry pie filling in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until dissolved. Add cornstarch slurry, lemon juice, almond extract, and salt to the saucepan. Gently simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until filling is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove pan from the heat and cool filling for 10 minutes.
- Spoon cherry filling over cooled crust and crumble reserved dough over filling.
- Bake bars for another 38 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden and filling slightly bubbly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife.
- Make glaze: Whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze over cooled bars and let set.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
Notes
Homemade cherry pie filling with sour cherries (fresh or frozen): Combine 2 1/2 cups (375 g) sour cherries, 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 3 Tbsp (24 g) cornstarch, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp almond extract in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, pressing firmly on cherries to release juices, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until filling is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove pan from the heat and cool filling for 10 minutes.
Larger batch: For a larger batch of cherry bars, double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking pan.
Freeze bars: To freeze cherry pie bars, let cool completely. Once cooled, place the unglazed bars on a baking sheet and freeze flat for 1 hour. Transfer bars to an airtight container and freeze up to 8 weeks. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator and glaze before serving.