Description
Sweet, buttery cherry pie bars with a soft cake-like base, luscious cherry filling, and a vanilla-almond glaze—an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert that tastes like homemade pie without the fuss.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 (21-ounce) cans cherry pie filling
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
- Cream together the softened butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Gradually mix in the flour until just combined.
- Spread 3 cups of the dough into a greased 15×10×1-inch baking pan.
- Spread the cherry pie filling evenly over the dough layer.
- Drop the remaining dough by teaspoonfuls over the filling.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled bars.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Try with different pie fillings such as blueberry, apple, or peach.
- Add lemon zest to the dough or glaze for a citrus twist.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds on top before baking for added crunch.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze individual slices for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 27g
- Sodium: 170mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
