Easy Cherry Pie Bars (Printable)

Buttery vanilla dough layered with sweet cherries and finished with a creamy glaze for an irresistible handheld dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
03 - 4 large eggs
04 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
05 - 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
06 - 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 tsp salt

→ Filling

08 - 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling

→ Glaze

09 - 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
10 - 2-3 tbsp milk
11 - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
03 - Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and almond extracts. Mix well.
04 - Whisk flour and salt in separate bowl. Gradually add to wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
05 - Spread about 2/3 of dough evenly into prepared pan, smoothing top.
06 - Spoon cherry pie filling evenly over dough layer.
07 - Drop small spoonfuls of remaining dough over cherry filling, leaving gaps for cherries to show.
08 - Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is lightly golden and edges are set.
09 - Cool completely on wire rack before glazing.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
11 - Drizzle glaze over cooled bars. Let set before slicing into 16 pieces.

# Tips from dashanddishes:

01 -
  • Everything you love about cherry pie but with half the effort and zero rolling pin required
  • The tender vanilla almond crust perfectly balances the sweet tart cherries in every bite
02 -
  • Let these bars cool completely before glazing or the glaze will melt right off instead of setting beautifully
  • Dropping the dough in small clumps over the cherries creates those gorgeous pockets of fruit peeking through
03 -
  • Use room temperature ingredients for the smoothest, most evenly textured dough
  • Chill the dough for 10 minutes if it feels too sticky to work with

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