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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.
you probably could use one can of cherry and one can of something else and be good
Love cherry pie. This would be great for company.
Could we use almond flour & sweeteners for us diabetics? Would it change the cooking time?
You could try that! It shouldn’t change the cooking time but I would keep an eye on it since all ovens cook diffrently. Let me know how it turns out!
Turned out great! I added a lemon because I love lemon, especially with cherry. Put the zest in the dough and the juice in the pie filling. I also mixed some lemon curd with the pie filling. Left the almond extract out of glaze and added more vanilla. (I like almond extract, but I like being able to taste the vanilla too.) Added some sliced almonds on top too. Awesome dessert, and easily shareable. Original recipe sounds great as is, but I’m glad I added some changes for my personal taste.
Oooh, the lemon sounds delightful! I’m going to have to try that!
Can this recipe be adapted for a gluten free diet ?
I haven’t tried adapting this to make it gluten-free but if you do, let me know how it turns out!
Can we use puree fruit instead of canned fruit, will it affect the firmness of the bars or how they bake?
I would think that would work fine but I haven’t tried it that way before! Let me know if you do and how it turns out!
Would it negatively affect it if I sprinkled some brown sugar & cinnamon on the cherry filling before adding the top layer? I use this in my cobbler and love the extra flavor.
No, that sounds delicious! Let me know how it turns out!
Can you make these bars up a few days before having to serve? If yes, how should the bars be stored until serving?
Yes! Slice them up and store them in an airtight container in your fridge. They will last 3-4 days.
Just took these out of the oven. Waiting for them to cool so I can add the glaze. The toothpick never did come out clean because of all the cherry juice. I baked until the batter on top started to turn brown which was exactly 35 minutes in a jelly roll pan. Looking forward to tomorrow’s dessert! PS: Saw this on Facebook and pinned and shared the recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing! This is a favorite recipe of mine so I love when people love it enough to pass it along and let everyone else know about it too!
I only have a 12 x9 pan will that work for this? Should I put less batter in pan?
A 9×12 pan will work but you may need to add a little bit of baking time since the batter is thicker! Let me know how they turn out!
If you add more baking time, you may want to turn the temp down 25 degrees.
Hi I am wandering if we can freeze these bars ?
Yes! Slice them up and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do a quick freeze for about an hour. Then, transfer them onto an airtight freezer container (you can stack them). They can store for about 3-6 months. When you are ready to eat the cherry pie bars, let them thaw on your counter for a few hours until they are no longer frozen.
If adding blueberry or cherry pie filling should we add sugar or anything else ? And do we bake the bottom crust first then add fruit ?
No need to add any sugar to the pie filling. You cook everything all at once. The recipe card at the bottom of the post has all of the exact instructions! 🙂
My grandmother used to make these when I was growing up. She’s been gone for a few decades now and it’s still a family favorite. I would recommend this to anyone who loves, what seems now, the ancient idea of a coffee cake. Grandma loved her coffee cake and now this grandma loves them, too. They are a family tradition, the roots that keep us together!
Aw, that’s so sweet! Thank you for sharing!
Hi ! I was wondering if instead of pie filling, not a fan, if you think I could use jam or preserves ? We are a raspberry family ☺️
Ooh, I love raspberries too! The only problem with using jam or preserves is that they have a lot of extra moisture in them. You can use them but I would make a double-crust pie crust!
Could you use stewed fruit instead of pie filling?
I would think that would work but I haven’t tried it before. Let me know how it turns out!
Dear Alyssa, I made your Cherry Pie Bars last night. I followed your instructions and your hints. I was not prepared for the EXTREME thickness and stickiness of this dough. I almost switched to my dough hook. I tried them out for breakfast and I will say, they had a great flavor but the batter turned out to be quite dense and I had no way of knowing whether or not you intended that as an outcome. I came to the site this morning hoping to see a video of your making the bars, hoping to see how it should be. Again, great taste but I don’t know if I am willing to handle that thick, thick sticky dough again. Perhaps you have some suggestions. Thanks. Elizabeth Morrison, Pueblo, Colorado
I’m glad that you liked the taste of them! The dough is supposed to be a bit dense but it shouldn’t be that sticky! I’m so sorry about that! What kind of flour did you use?
I used regular ole’ all purpose flour. I am at 4700ft, but I think that should only play into how they bake. Whatever.. I am certainly not Betty Crocker. Thanks for taking the time to reply. They were yummie, for sure. Elizabeth
I’m glad that they still tasted good! Maybe it was a fluke and next time they will work great?! Keep me posted!
I too found the batter to be super sticky. I wonder if it has anything to do with it being made in a stand mixer? I made it in a stand mixer but on the lowest speed and didnt over work it. I was so tempted to add more flour but resisted. I will see how they turn out as they are in the oven now after a frustrating time of dealing with the sticky dough. I will post after they have cooked and give it a true rating.
These are delicious. I did 1 can of cherry pie filling and the other side with strawberry pie filling. It turned out great 2 deserts for the price of one. Try it
I haven’t made these yet but I’m wondering how many bars you got out of this and how big did you cut them?
I like the fact we can adjust the amount of ingredients to # to bars we want to make. What suggestions can you help me with when making the blueberry flavor pie filling? Add Cinnamon, lemon, ? ? Thank you. Your recipe is easy to follow & make. Pamela 4/4/2022
I cut it into 24 slice, 6 x 4. This made nice, smallish portions. Perfect when you add a little vanilla ice cream. If you want it to be more like a full slice of pie, I would go 5 x 4 or even 6 x 3.