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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.
No baking power?
Not in this recipe!
Do these freeze well?
Yes! Let them completely cool before freezing them. These will last in your freezer for 2-3 months.
When you freeze them. Wait to frost when you thaw them? Or frost then freeze? Thank You!
Hi Marti! I would wait to frost them.
Do these need to be stored in the fridge?
Yes, store them in the fridge and they will last about 3-4 days.
I have 2 12 oz cans of cherry pie filling I wanted to use up. Do you think it would work if I just halved this recipe in a smaller pan?
In answer to my own question, yes it works and they are delicious.
I’m new to baking that doesn’t come out of a box for the most part.
If you don’t have a sifter could you just use the flour unsifted?
Also, can I use salted butter? It’s crazy it says unsalted butter but then you add salt in the recipe. I love cherry. Next I will try one with cherry and chocolate yummy! Thank you
If you don’t have a sifter, you could use a fine-mesh strainer instead! As far as the butter goes, if you use salted butter then I would use less salt in the recipe. I like to use unsalted butter and then measure out my salt so that I can have control over the amount of salt in the recipe. That’s trickier to do with salted butter. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Can you use self risning flour thats all i have at home
That should be fine in this recipe!
Are you using unsalted butter? What type of salt – kosher or table? Thanks
I used unsalted butter and table salt in this recipe.
I only had one can of cherry pie filling but wanted to try the recipe so I halved the recipe and used a 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan, lined with foil and greased. I didn’t use the almond flavored icing , to cut down on the sugar, but sprinkled about 1/4 cup of sliced almonds on top.of the batter before baking. This is almost like a coffee cake and also delicious slightly warmed.
I made the Cherry Pie filling bars and they were delicious! Very easy recipe to follow. I am making these again for Thanksgiving dessert.;
Could you make these ahead and store in the fridge? I tried these bars tonight. They are delightful, but I’m planning to serve them on Thanksgiving, which is 3 days from now. Thx
Yes! They should store well for about 3-4 days.
is that a baking sheet or dish
The pan I used is 10x15x1.
Made with apple pie filling. Delicious!!
Can I use a can of blackberry pie filling instead of cherry pie filling?
Sure! That sounds delicious!
I found it too sweet also. Mine even ran out of the pan. Hubby loved it.
If I wanted to halve this recipe (it’s only for my husband & myself and I know I will eat the majority of these yummy looking bars!) could I use an 8”x8” pan? What do you think the baking time would be?
Followed this recipe and it’s delicious, but overly sweet for me. I’m thinking of cutting the cake sugar from 2 cups to 1 cup. Reading all of the reviews, no one has mentioned the sweetness. And yes, I know it’s a dessert, lol. Thoughts anyone?
These are amazing… followed the recipe as is. Just a quick question… do I need to keep these refrigerated? I wanted to cut the rest of them tomorrow to take to a dinner party and wasn’t sure if I could keep them out overnight…
They will stay fresh at room temperature for about 3 days! Just make sure to store them in an airtight container.