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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.
I followed the recipe, my batter was very stiff.like frosting that was refrigerated.anyone have the same problem? It is in oven now.will seee if it comes out like a rock.let me know pleaseI
these cherry bars look delicious and i am going to make them and take to bingo and they will love them,
I have made this recipe for years. I also change the flavor of pie filling for different times of the years or occasions. They are a family favorite(raised 5 kids on them). A doctor friend once called them “Puggie Pills”. Love them. Think Lemon is my next favorite, then Blueberry.
With the rasberry pie bars can I add cream cheese chunks
AWE!! That sounds delicious! Let me know how it turns out! XOXO
My recipe for cherry pie is 15+ years old
I misplaced it years ago
I made it In a large sheet pan and used 1 can of cherries and 1 can of blue berries
Thank you
Can I use any pie filling or fresh fruit instead of cherry?
Any pie filling would work or fresh fruit would taste great too! XOXO
I have made these several times but I used fresh cherries. They are delicious. I have some fresh apricots and I plan on making some using the apricots. I’m sure they will be just as tasty as the cherry bars are.
MMM! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing and following along with me! XOXO
Did you create your own filling with the cherries or just the cherries? I want to make them with the fresh cherries. Thanks!
I made this for the 4th of July. Added extra almond and cherry juice in the glaze. Turned out amazing! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes!
YAY!! That sounds great! Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July!! XOXO
I want to try with sour cherries
How is a toothpick going to come out clean when you have cherry pie filling in it ? I made these and they were delicious. Taking them to a family reunion this weekend.
I ommitted the almond extract. And used apple pie filling instead.. added cinnamon ?
MMM! That sounds delicious! I love that you changed it and made it your own. Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
These bars must have like 1000 calories each! They look good, but wow! Could probably use less sugar since cherry pie filling is already sweet. Then I might put the topping pretty thing. but do you know how many calories these have?
For any nutritional questions I like to use myfitnesspal.com or skinnytaste.com to answer any information I am looking for. Hope that helps!
i saw that you didn’t put baking soda in the mix… was that a mistake or it doesn’t need it? looks yummy. my husband ill love it as he is a cherry pie nut…lol
No mistake! Just another way of baking Cherry Pie Bars! Enjoy! XOXO
Could you use 1 can cherry pie filling and 1 can blueberry pie filling to make it look patriotic or would that just end up a purple pie syrup mess? Thanks!
It may end in an mess since they are so runny; however, you are always welcome to try it and put a barrier or just have the middle mixed a little. Hope it turns out! That is a great idea!! XOXO
Will be trying this- looks great.
First things first, I am a sucker for anything made with Almond Extract, so when this recipe included it in the body and topping of the bars, it was a no brainer. I was a bit skeptical about the 10X15 pan making the bars to thin after baking, again, it was the perfect size. Now, for the review.: The batter is tender, easy to mix and very gooey to work with, I sprayed my fingers with Pam and got right into the bowl for the base layer and pressed it out for a perfect base. I made one change to the recipe for personal reasons, I started with the can of pie filling then substituted a half can of “tart cherries” over that. The tart cherries are not pie cherries in gooey sauce they are packed in a light liquid, so I gave them a good squeeze to remove some of the packing juice and sprinkeled them over the pie filling then topped as directed, again using my pam sprayed fingers to place the dollops of dough. Done. Bake. Top with glaze, I put my glaze in a baggie, cut a tiny hole in the corner and made beautiful pattern on the top of the baked pan of yummyness. I made my dish couple of hours before dinner, covered it with foil till I was ready to cook, then put it in the as we sat down for dinner. I didn’t give it much time to cool before I served it with a large dollop of Blue Belle Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. The three men and my tiny size “0” friend who never eats more than a taste of anything, all had huge pieces of the dessert, seriously huge pieces, and ate every bite. This recipe would be good for winter and summer get togethers, not to heavy not to light….it’s just right. It taste heavenly, the tart cherries added a tangy twist most people like in a cherry pie. It would be a great buffet dessert. I’m going to try this recipe with blueberry pie filling, I think it would work just fine and would be fun to have a cherry and a blueberry for Memorial weekend or 4th of July party. All in all, I’d give this a 10 star rating if I could.