This Easy Cherry Pie Bars Recipe is the perfect sweet treat for potlucks, picnics and BBQs.
It’s a delicious dessert that you can make in a 9 X 13 pan (and we’ve got a great one with a lid in the printable recipe card below!)
So if you’re looking for an easy cherry bars recipe to share this summer let’s get to it! The cherry lovers in your life will thank you. 🙂
Ingredients you will need:
- Powdered sugar
- All purpose flour
- Large eggs at room temperature
- Cherry pie filling
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Sugar
Now we make our cherry pie bars in a 9 x 13 pan. There are two reasons for this.
I don’t own a jelly roll pan! I haven’t needed one yet, and everyone has a 9 X 13 pan.
I love my 9 X 13 pan because it has a snap on lid – a perfect airtight container for travelling to that picnic!
5 tips for making the best cherry pie bars
- You can serve your Cherry Pie Bars at room temperature – no need to refrigerate! (but don’t leave them out in the sun either – 🙂
- Bake the bars until they are a golden brown on top
- Use a large bowl when you cream the butter with your electric mixer so that there’s lots of room for the dry ingredients
- Spoon the bottom crust into a prepared pan. You can line your pan with parchment paper too, but I find the old fashioned way to grease and flour the cake pan works best
- Cool the bars completely on a wire rack before adding the Glaze
Serve your bars with a big ole scoop of ice cream! A yummy dessert without all the fuss of baking fruit pies.
Mainly because room temperature eggs mix better in the batter and will contribute the rise when baking in the oven.
This recipe calls for canned cherry pie filling. You could adapt the recipe next time by using fresh or frozen cherries to make your own pie filling, but please be prepared for the extra time that will take.
Make sure you spread the dough evenly across the bottom of the pan. Also check with a wooden pick when the baking time is up. It should come out clean. Cherry Pie Bars are best refrigerated after the glaze has been added to the top.
Time Saver Tip:
Get all of your ingredients ready before you bake. Take the time however to sift your flour (you will be so glad you did!)
Other cherry recipes
These Cherry Bars are so easy to make
This is the best cherry pie bars recipe and I know it will become your favorite too! If you love it as much as I think you will please give it a 5 star rating and leave a comment below!
Easy Cherry Pie Bars Recipe That Will Feed a Crowd
Ingredients
BARS
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1.75 cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract*(optional, see note below)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cans (18 ounces each) cherry pie filling
GLAZE:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer
Add the eggs one at a time & the vanilla extract and almond extract
In a separate medium bowl sift the flour
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture
Mix on medium speed until well blended
Spread 2/3 of the batter evenly on the bottom of a prepared 9x13 cake pan
Spoon on the cherry pie filling - make sure it is evenly spread.
Top the pie filling with the remaining batter by spoonfuls
Bake 40 to 45 minutes (start with 40 minutes)
While the bars are cooling on a wire rack, mix up the Glaze.
Add 2 tbsp of cream first to see what the texture is. You want the glaze to be a bit runny.
Then add the 3rd tbsp. but only if you need it.
Spread it quickly across the top of the cooled bars.
Refrigerate until ready, then slice and serve!
Notes
Some people find that almond extract is just too overpowering - which is why I've marked it optional! You can go ahead and make your strawberry pound cake without it!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 139mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g
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Judy Kahansky
Judy Kahansky is an experienced baker and writer. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.