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Enjoy cherry pie in its best form: cherry pie bars! You can whip up a whole pan in minutes using cherry pie filling. They’re beautiful, easy to make, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Fruity desserts are the best! Try some more of my favorites like this delicious berry cheesecake salad, or my families favorite Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Reason’s You’ll Love This Dessert
- Incredible Flavor: These bars combine buttery crust with sweet-tart cherry filling and a hint of almond, creating a delicious treat everyone will love.
- Quick and Easy: Simple ingredients and easy steps mean you can whip these up in no time, perfect for busy days or spontaneous cravings.
- Perfect for Sharing: Great for gatherings, these bars are easy to cut and serve, making them a hit at any party or family get-together. Plus, the glaze makes them look as amazing as they taste!
Cherry Pie Bars Recipe
My favorite pie is cherry pie! It’s so delicious and you can have it all year long, no matter that the occasion! But pie can be time consuming, and thats where this simple recipe comes in!
These cherry pie bars are so good, it’s like biting into cherry pie AND cookies. These bars are incredible — they’re soft, chewy, flavorful, and the glaze on top is the perfect finishing touch. Serve these with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for the ultimate dessert!
Ingredients to Make Cherry Pie Bars
These ingredients are so simple, you probably just need to grab some cherry pie filling and you might already have the rest! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact measurements.
Bars
- Butter: Adds rich flavor and creates a tender, flaky texture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the batter and helps create a golden brown crust.
- Eggs: Provide structure and moisture, making the bars soft and chewy.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor with a warm, sweet note.
- Almond Extract: Adds a subtle, nutty depth that pairs well with cherries.
- Flour: Forms the base of the batter, giving the bars their structure.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the other flavors.
- Cherry Pie Filling: Provides a delicious, fruity center that’s easy to use.
Glaze
- Vanilla Extract and Almond Extract: These complement the flavors in the crust.
- Powdered Sugar: Used in the glaze for sweetness and a smooth texture.
- Milk: Thins the glaze to a perfect drizzling consistency.
How Do You Make Cherry Pie Bars?
This recipe is so easy and comes together in less than an hour, start to finish! And most of that is baking time.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with pan spray and set aside.
- Cream: Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Combine: In a separate bowl combine the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until combined.
- Add batter and filling to pan: Spread 3 cups of the batter evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the cans of cherry pie filling, spreading evenly across the batter. Drop dollops of the remaining batter as evenly as you can over the top until all the batter has been used.
- Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is lightly golden brown. If you are using a 15×10-inch pan instead, the bake time may end up being a bit shorter, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the cooled bars.
Cherry Pie Bars Tips
- Room-Temperature Ingredients: Use room-temperature eggs and butter for a fluffier texture. To quickly warm cold eggs, soak them in warm (not hot) water for 5-10 minutes.
- Measuring the Flour: For best results, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. This prevents dense, heavy bars.
- Grease the Pan: Grease your pan well to ensure easy removal. I like using a pan spray with flour, like Baker’s Joy.
- Try Different Fillings: You can use any pie filling you like—apple, strawberry, peach, or blueberry. For a fall flavor, add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Pan Size: A 9×13-inch pan with 2-inch high sides works best. If you use a larger pan, reduce the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
Storing Cherry Pie Bars
This dessert is great to make ahead of time because it stores great!
- At Room Temperature: Store the bars by tightly covering them with plastic wrap or placing them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
- In the Refrigerator: If you prefer to refrigerate them, they will last up to 7 days.
- In the Freezer: To freeze, cut the bars into pieces and layer them with parchment paper. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours. For best results, wait to add the glaze until you’re ready to serve, as it may get sticky when thawed.
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Cherry Pie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 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 the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with pan spray and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until combined.
- Spread 3 cups of the batter evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with the cans of cherry pie filling, spreading evenly across the batter. Drop dollops of the remaining batter as evenly as you can over the top until all the batter has been used.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is lightly golden brown. If you are using a 15×10-inch pan instead, the bake time may end up being a bit shorter, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
- Whisk together the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the cooled bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do I make this into muffins
Hi Sandy, thank you for your comment. I don’t recommend making these into muffins. It would be best to stick to making them according to the recipe and cutting them into individual bars. I have this Mini Cherry Pies recipe or you could make these cranberry muffins or raspberry muffins if you really need a muffin recipe. I hope this helps!
Delicious!! Will make these often.
Delicious. I used one can of cherry pie filling on half and 1 can of blueberry filling on the other half. Two flavors in one baking. Thepieces looked great on the serving plate with the two colors.
Thank you for the review! What a fun idea to use two separate fillings! Love it!
The bars are absolutely delicious! I bakes them in a jelly roll pan and they were perfect for a party dessert. I used cherry pie filling the first time, tomorrow I’m planning on making with blueberry pie filling. The glaze adds nicely for a decorative touch. This is my go to dessert bar for a crowd for sure!
Has anyone tried this recipe with cup 4 cup flour?
These were stupendous! Do NOT leave out the almond extract – cherry and almond are like peas and carrots. They are just meant for each other. Just had to say that out loud. Made exactly as written except I did have to leave mine in the oven much longer – 65 mins or so.
Was a big hit at a club event and so easy to make!
Melt in your mouth delicious! I used13 X 9 glass pan and baked for about an hour. Just sprinkled conf. Sugar on top. Rave reviews!
Can these be frozen to be used later?
Yes, they’re great for that!
Hi Alyssa:
I have not made this recipe yet, but I wanted to just drop a line to tell you how grateful I am for all the sheet pan dessert recipes! Oh my gosh! I’m so excited!! These are super helpful for picnics, church gatherings, etc.
The cherry pie one will be my first one to try and it looks yummy! Thank you for the time and effort you put into putting all these great recipes together.
Janie
Tried this recipe as we love cherry recipes. My dough or crust came out soggy. Even the dollops on top were not crunchy. I used coconut sugar instead of white sugar. Help!
This recipe is AMAZING. I have been making them for a couple years now. They are a favorite for everyone that tries them. They have to be on the dessert table for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are also one of the stars at our Harvest Party we have for area farmers and friends that I will make as one of the desserts for around 200 people. The recipe is so easy to halve if you want a smaller amount. This year I am also doing an apple version and making my own apple pie filling.
Made this dessert tonight. It was delish. Will be making it again. I made half the recipe and it still made a lot.
Okay. So I just made these- and they are so delicious. I made my own pie filling using pie cherries from our cherry tree and it was phenomenal. So so so good. Thanks so much!
I bet they were amazing with fresh cherries! Thanks for trying the recipe!
These were amazing! I made them for a camping trip cookout so had to keep them in a cooler for 3 days – would have preferred to eat fresh but they were still delicious! I could have halved the milk in the glaze for less runny consistency. Something I did that I thought was genius was to use a cookie press to put the top layer of dough on – I was able to press out long ribbons that I put on top like a lattice! It was very pretty and easy to do. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
HI, I made these yesterday & cooked an extra 10 minutes. Cooled then & took to a friends party. When I cut the first bar the crust was pasty, like cookie dough.
I’ve been baking for 60 plus years & never had this happen. I double checked the recipe & I made no mistakes.
Could you tell me what you think would cause this. I lined my 15×10″ with parchment.
Are you at high altitude?