Homemade Cherry Pie Bars
Need to use up some beautiful, fresh cherries? My Homemade Cherry Pie Bars are simple, delicious, and a perfect way to make those bright and flavorful rubies shine! Featuring a homemade cherry pie filling, these are as good as it gets.
Servings: 12
Calories: 505kcal
Ingredients
Cherry filling*
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 5 1/2 cups cherries whole, pitted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Bars
- 1 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Cherry filling
- Whisk the cornstarch and water together to create a slurry. Add the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and prepared slurry to a large pot over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often, then turn the heat down to low. Cook, continuing to stir often, for about 10-15 minutes until the cherries release their moisture and the mixture thickens slightly. Let the cherries cool to room temperature.
Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Beat the butter, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add the eggs, beating them into the mixture one at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla and almond extract and give the mixture a quick stir.
- Whisk the flour and baking powder together, then add to the bowl of wet ingredients. Beat until you see no more flour, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in any residual dry ingredients.
- Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Spread 3 cups of the batter evenly into the pan. Top with the prepared cherry filling, then dot the top of the filling with the remaining batter.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the dotted batter begins to brown around the edges. Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving. Optional: Drizzle with glaze** before serving.
Notes
*The homemade cherry filling in this recipe can be replaced with 2 21 oz cans of premade filling.
**To make a basic glaze:
1. Whisk 1 cup of icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar) with 3-5 tbsp milk. Start with 3 tbsp, and add more as needed to reach your desired consistency. 2. If you want to add flavor, you can add a splash of vanilla and/ or almond extract. Drizzle over the top of your completely cooled bars. Nutritional information is calculated assuming the bars will be cut into 12 portions. This made for pretty large bars! You can cut them smaller if you'd like, 4x5 (20) or 4x6 (24) would also work. Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients you use. Did you love this recipe? Don't forget to comment and leave a star rating!
1. Whisk 1 cup of icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar) with 3-5 tbsp milk. Start with 3 tbsp, and add more as needed to reach your desired consistency. 2. If you want to add flavor, you can add a splash of vanilla and/ or almond extract. Drizzle over the top of your completely cooled bars. Nutritional information is calculated assuming the bars will be cut into 12 portions. This made for pretty large bars! You can cut them smaller if you'd like, 4x5 (20) or 4x6 (24) would also work. Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients you use. Did you love this recipe? Don't forget to comment and leave a star rating!
Nutrition
Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 603IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg