Description
Delicious Cherry Pie Bars featuring a buttery crust layered with sweet cherry pie filling and topped with a smooth almond-vanilla glaze. Perfect for an easy dessert or snack that offers all the flavors of a classic cherry pie in convenient bar form.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust and Batter
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 (21-ounce) cans cherry pie filling
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan with pan spray and set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts until combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, mixing until just combined to form the batter.
- Assemble Bars: Spread three cups of the batter evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Evenly spread the cherry pie filling over the batter layer. Drop dollops of the remaining batter evenly over the cherry filling to cover as much as possible.
- Bake: Bake the bars for 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the batter comes out clean and the top is lightly golden brown. If using a 15 x 10-inch pan, bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Prepare and Add Glaze: In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cherry bars for a sweet finishing touch.
Notes
- Be sure to cool the bars completely before adding the glaze to prevent it from melting and running off.
- If you prefer a stronger almond flavor, add a bit more almond extract to the glaze or batter but avoid overpowering the cherry flavor.
- Using a 9 x 13-inch pan provides thicker bars; a larger pan will yield thinner bars and slightly reduced baking time.
- You can substitute cherry pie filling with other fruit pie fillings to create different flavored bars.
- To ensure even cooking, use room temperature ingredients when creaming and mixing the batter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
