Description
Delightful cherry pie bars bring classic American dessert comfort to your kitchen with minimal effort. Sweet-tart cherries nestled in buttery crust create a perfect handheld treat you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 0.25 teaspoon almond extract
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 cans (21 ounces each / 594 grams each) cherry pie filling
Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons 2% milk
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 0.5 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with grease. Cream together butter, sugar, and salt until the mixture becomes airy and pale, which takes approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Incorporate eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, then blend in vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually fold in flour until a smooth dough forms.
- Distribute approximately 3 cups of dough evenly across the prepared baking pan, creating a uniform base layer. Carefully spread cherry pie filling over the dough.
- Delicately drop remaining dough by small spoonfuls across the cherry filling, creating a rustic, uneven topping.
- Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, watching for a golden-brown surface that indicates complete cooking.
- Remove from oven and allow bars to cool completely on a wire rack, which helps set the texture and prevents soggy bottoms.
- Prepare the glaze by whisking confectioners’ sugar with extracts, gradually adding milk until achieving a smooth, drizzleable consistency.
- Once bars are thoroughly cooled, elegantly drizzle the glaze across the surface, creating an appetizing finish.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure smooth, even mixing and prevent lumpy batter.
- Soften butter beforehand by letting it sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before creaming.
- Gently press remaining dough over cherry filling to create a rustic, uneven top for a homemade texture.
- Consider using fresh cherries when in season for a more intense, vibrant flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 344
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 162 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 69 mg