Easy Cherry Pie Bars (Printable)
Buttery bars with cherry filling and vanilla glaze, ready in under an hour.
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Dough
01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 4 large eggs
04 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
05 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
06 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ For the Filling
08 - 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
→ For the Glaze
09 - 1 cup powdered sugar
10 - 2-3 tablespoons milk
11 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy using a hand or stand mixer.
03 - Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and almond extracts. Mix until well incorporated.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Gradually add to wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
05 - Spread about two-thirds of the dough evenly into prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
06 - Spoon cherry pie filling evenly over the dough layer.
07 - Drop small spoonfuls of remaining dough over cherry filling, leaving gaps for cherries to peek through.
08 - Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is lightly golden and edges are set.
09 - Cool completely on a wire rack before applying glaze.
10 - Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and drizzle-consistency.
11 - Drizzle glaze over cooled bars. Allow glaze to set before slicing into 16 squares.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The buttery shortbread crust tastes like something from a bakery
- They travel beautifully and actually get better after sitting for a day
02 -
- These bars need to cool completely before slicing or they will fall apart
- The dough topping is supposed to look imperfect, those gaps let the cherries shine
03 -
- Use parchment paper overhangs to lift the bars out easily for cutting
- The glaze should be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to drizzle