Description
These Cherry Pie Bars are a delightful twist on the classic cherry pie, featuring a buttery, tender crust layered with sweet cherry pie filling and topped with a simple vanilla-almond glaze. Perfect for easy serving, these bars bring the nostalgic flavors of cherry pie in a convenient and delicious handheld form.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Bars:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups cherry pie filling
For the Glaze:
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan to ensure the bars do not stick during baking.
- Cream: Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing until the batter is smooth and well combined.
- Combine: In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until fully incorporated and a uniform dough forms.
- Assemble: Spread three cups of the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the batter. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top of the cherry filling to cover partially.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the bars comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow bars to cool completely in the pan.
- Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and 2-3 teaspoons of milk until smooth. Drizzle this glaze evenly over the cooled bars before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
- Make sure the bars cool completely before applying the glaze to prevent it from melting and running off.
- You can substitute cherry pie filling with any other fruit pie filling to create different flavored bars.
- For a crunchier texture, you can sprinkle chopped nuts on top before baking.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
