Sweet and Tart Cherry Pie Bars

Author of Stella Coast

Grace

If you’re a fan of the classic cherry pie but want something a little easier to share or bring to a party, these homemade sweet and tart cherry pie bars are the perfect treat for you! Combining the timeless flavors of tart cherries, buttery crust, streusel topping, and a delectable glaze, these bars offer a traditional pie’s deliciousness in a convenient, handheld form.

Why You’ll Love These Homemade Cherry Pie Bars

It’s the holiday season, and what better treat than something that combines a classic dessert with a modern twist? The tart cherry filling paired with the buttery, sugary, cake-like crust make for the best sweet of the season. These sweet and tart cherry pie bars only take a few steps and there are modifications to make it even easier!

Ingredients

• Butter
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Egg
• Flour
• Vanilla and Almond Extract
• Salt
• Baking Powder
• Cherry Pie Filling
• Powdered Sugar
• Milk

How to Make Cherry Pie Bars

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and get to prepping. Mix the dry ingredients for the bars together and set aside. Then cream the brown & white sugar, butter, and egg with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix that in as well.
• Slowly mix in the flour mixture until it reaches a nice dough consistency. Add more flour if needed.

• Grease the your baking dish of choice, I recommend a 9×13. Use a larger baking pan to shorten the cooking time.
• Add the pie bar dough to the baking dish, then top with cherry pie filling.

• Whip together the streusel in a small bowl. Don’t put too much melted butter or it will all combine. You want the streusal to be nice and crumbly. Sprinkle over top of the pie filling.
• Bake the bars for around 45 minutes, but it can take up to an hour depending on how thick the dough at the bottom of the pan is.
• Once the cherry pie bars are done baking, combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Once the bars are cool, pour the glaze over them. Once the glaze has set, cut into squares and serve!

Substitutions

This recipe will give you a more cake-like consistency to the bars, and the dough has the perfect sweetness, in my opinion. However, if you are in a rush and want something easy but just as delicious, you can use store-bought sugar cookie dough!

Tools

Measuring Cups – Measuring cups are crucial for any baker and you definitely want to measure your ingredients for this recipe!

Mixer!! Use a Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer to combine the ingredients for this recipe.

Baking Dish – Make sure to have a nice baking dish on hand for this one. Extra points if they have a lid for easy storage!

Cherry Pie Bars

Recipe by GraceCourse: Dessert

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

25

minutes

These show-stopping cherry pie bars are the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Make them for your next holiday party!

Ingredients

• For the Bars

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 21oz can cherry pie filling

• For the Streusel Topping

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3-4 tablespoons butter, melted

• For the Glaze

• 3/4 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper or grease with butter. If using a 9×9 baking dish, the baking time will be longer.
• Mix 2 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and baking powder for the bars in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, and butter. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add more flour if needed.
• Scoop the dough into the baking pan. Add cherry pie filling on-top of the dough and spread evenly on the dough.
• In a separate small bowl, add the streusel topping ingredients. Mix with a fork allowing it to naturally crumble until you can’t see the flour anymore.
• Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cherry pie filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes if using 9×13. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour if using a 9×9 pan/dish. The streusel will be slightly golden and pie-filling bubbly when done.
• Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until it has a smooth, glossy texture. Once the cherry pie bars have cooled, drizzle glaze over. Once the glaze has dried, cut into squares and serve!

Looking for more dessert recipes? Try these Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Cookies!