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With a hint of almond, a heavenly glaze, and bursts of sweet cherries, these delicious Cherry Bars are the sweetest way to treat a crowd!
If you love all the flavors in Cherry Pie, you’ll love these simple no-fuss cherry bars! They’re similar to our Peach Crumb Bars but with a rich red color and tart cherry taste. Add them to your list of easy dessert recipes!
For the cherry Lovers!
Have any of your friends ever made a dessert before, and after trying it you tell them, “I NEED that recipe!!” Well, that’s exactly what happened when I tried my friend, Marie’s, cherry bars.
These cherry squares were DELICIOUS, but the two things I loved most about them were:
A) they had almond extract which is my all-time FAVORITE ingredient.
B) they just looked darn right pretty. And who can resist a pretty treat?
These bars are great for so many reasons, but it also serves a ton, making it perfect for parties and get-togethers. So if you love cherries and are wanting Cherry Pie and need to feed a crowd, opt for this recipe instead!
Making Cherry Bars
PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease your 10 ½ x 15 ½ jelly roll pan.
CRUST. Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well. Add flour and baking powder, and stir just until blended.
CHERRY FILLING. Spread ⅔ of the batter into the cookie sheet. Spread the pie filling over the batter. Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over the pie filling.
BAKE. Bake for 33-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
GLAZE. For the glaze, mix together the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl; drizzle over cooled bars. Let set until the glaze is set.
CUT. Cut into bars/squares. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Pan size. If you do not have a jelly roll pan that is 10×15 you can use a 9×13 pan. However, the dough will be thicker and will require a longer baking time.
No sticking. To make cutting and serving cherry dessert bars easy, simply line your pan with parchment paper. Once the bars cool a bit, use the overhanging parchment paper to lift it out of the pan.
Perfect slices. Once it has been removed from the pan, use a sharp knife, and wipe the blade between cuts to make even squares.
Cream Cheese. Adding a cream cheese layer is also really delicious. Simply beat together 8 oz cream cheese (softened), ¼ cup sugar, and 1 egg. Spread it over the batter, then add the cherry pie filling layer.
How to Store
STORE. Keep the cherry bars in an airtight container, separating the layers with parchment or wax paper. They will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. Wrap each bar with plastic wrap. Then, either wrap them each again with aluminum foil or place the plastic-wrapped bars in a freezer-safe container.
Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw before serving.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe is pretty easy to change and use your favorite pie filling. Instead of using a cherry pie filling, use blueberry, peach, raspberry, strawberry, or apple pie filling.
If you do not have a jelly roll pan that is 10×15 you can use a 9×13 pan. However, the dough will be thicker and will require a longer baking time.
For more bar desserts, try:
Cherry Bars
Equipment
- 10½ x 15½ jelly roll pan
Video
Ingredients
Bar
- 1¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 21 ounces cherry pie filling
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease your 10½ x 15½ jelly roll pan.
- Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well. Add flour and baking powder, and stir just until blended.
- Spread ⅔ of the batter into the cookie sheet. Spread the pie filling over the batter. Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over the pie filling.
- Bake for 33-38 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely.
Glaze
- Mix the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl; drizzle over cooled bars. Let set until the glaze is set.
- Cut into bars. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have a jelly roll pan that is 10×15 you can use a 9×13 baking pan. However, the dough will be thicker and will require a longer baking time.
- Add a sweet cream cheese layer: beat 8 ounces of cream cheese (softened), ¼ cup sugar, and 1 egg. Spread it over the batter, add the cherry pie filling layer, and continue with the recipe.
- Switch up the type of pie filling, like blueberry pie filling or apple pie filling (dice apples into smaller chunks).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your instructions are perfect. I used a 9×13 cake pan so I baked until set. About 10 more minsutes in my oven.I love almond so I used some in the batter also. It is more of a cake crust but that makes it easier to eat and serve.
I also used strawberry pie filling. Thank you for such an easy recipe. Next time I am trying it with the sweet cream cheese layer also.
Thanksgiving new dessert.
That sounds wonderful! I love the idea of using strawberry pie filling and adding almond to the batter. The cream cheese layer will be delicious too!
It’s a lovely recipe! I skipped the glaze and used a brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon sprinkle. I recommend Lucky Leaf cherry pie filling. Will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed it! The cinnamon sugar topping sounds like a delicious twist—thanks for sharing your favorite brand of cherry filling!