Cherry Pie Bars

Cherry pie bars are a delicious fruit dessert that is perfect for serving a crowd at any get-together. The sweet vanilla glaze requires only 3 ingredients and is perfect for topping off the golden buttery crust stuffed with cherry pie filling. Bring these cherry pie squares to a party, gathering, or potluck, and all of your guests will want to know the recipe!

If you love 9x13 desserts, try my fudge brownies, brownie blondies, coffee cake, or pineapple bars.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 How To Make Cherry Pie Bars
• 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
• 🥡 Storing
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🍒 More Cherry Dessert Recipes
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments & Reviews

Cherry pie squares are a delicious dessert treat to share with a crowd of friends. These bars are simple to make, easy to serve, and can be prepped in advance.

There is no doubt that these cherry pie squares will wow your friends and family. Everyone will be obsessed and begging for the recipe!

🥘 Ingredients

Cherry Pie Bars

• Butter - ¾ cup of butter (softened).
• Sugar - 1½ cups of white sugar.
• Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt.
• Eggs - 3 eggs (at room temperature).
• Vanilla Extract - 1½ teaspoon of vanilla.
• All-Purpose Flour - 2¼ cups of flour.
• Cherry Pie Filling - 21 ounces cherry pie filling (1 21-ounce can or see my recipe).

Vanilla Glaze

• Confectioners' Sugar - ½ cup confectioners' sugar.
• Heavy Cream - 1 tablespoon of heavy cream (or you can use another full-fat dairy like whole milk or half & half).
• Vanilla Extract - ½ teaspoon of vanilla.

🔪 How To Make Cherry Pie Bars

There are a few steps to this recipe, but nothing too difficult. Grab a mixing bowl, measuring cups, and a 9x13 baking pan to get started.

This recipe makes 18 cherry pie squares. Perfect for parties, large groups, or saving for later!

Make The Cherry Pie Bar Dough

1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan using baking spray or butter.
2. Mix dry ingredients with the butter. Add ¾ cup butter, 1 ½ cups sugar, and a ½ teaspoon salt to the bowl of a mixer and cream the ingredients together.
3. Add wet ingredients. Add the 1½ teaspoon of vanilla to the bowl of your mixer. Then add the 3 eggs one at a time, making sure to mix between each one (*see note). *If you notice the mixture begins to curdle, mix in a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour.
4. Mix in flour. Gently stir in the 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour just until the dough is combined (try not to overmix). Reserve a cup of the dough for later and set it aside.

Assemble & Bake The Cherry Pie Bars

1. Spread dough. Next, press your dough across the bottom of your prepared baking pan, spreading it into an even and consistent layer. Use your spatula or dampen your fingertips to spread the sticky dough easily. You can also grease or flour your fingers.
2. Add the layers. Next, top the base layer with the pie filling. Drop the reserved 1 cup of dough in rounded spoonfuls over the cherry pie filling layer.
3. Bake. Bake in your preheated oven until golden brown and the topping is not soft, about 30-35 minutes. Then, transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling before drizzling the vanilla icing over the top.

Make The Vanilla Glaze

1. Add ingredients and mix. Combine the ½ cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar), a tablespoon of heavy cream, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small bowl. If needed, you can adjust the thickness by adding small increments of heavy cream or powdered sugar until you have a good consistency for drizzling.
2. Finish with vanilla drizzle. After the bars have cooled completely, drizzle the vanilla glaze over them. Cut the bars to serve immediately, or allow the glaze to set before serving.

These dessert bars are scrumptious as is, but you can always top them off with ice cream. Also, you cannot go wrong with some made-from-scratch whipped cream!

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes

• If you don't have canned cherry pie filling, check out my simple homemade cherry pie filling recipe!
• See my article on how to make cherry pie filling taste better to make these easy dessert bars even more delicious!
• Adjust the glaze consistency until it reaches a good drizzling thickness. It should cling to your spoon but flow freely without dropping in clumps.

🥡 Storing

Keep any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days maximum (before adding the glaze). If you have added a dairy-based glaze, your squares should be kept refrigerated for 4 days at most.

Freezing

If freezing leftover bars, do not add the vanilla drizzle until they are thawed and ready to serve. Wrap them in aluminum foil and then place them in a sealed container or heavy-duty storage bag.

Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving and enjoy within three months.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🍒 More Cherry Dessert Recipes

• Cherry blueberry dump cake- If you want a fruity and quick dessert, try this cherry blueberry dump cake recipe next time.
• Maraschino cherry coffee cake- A delicious and easy-to-make cherry coffee cake that's ready in just 30 minutes.
• Chocolate maraschino cherry bars- These chocolate and cherry dessert squares will be the biggest hit on any occasion.
• Cherry chip cake batter cookies- A tasty cookie that is combined with M&M's and cherry chip cake batter.
• Chocolate chip maraschino cherry almond bars- A show-stopping recipe for holidays, parties, and potlucks.
• No-bake maraschino cherry chocolate chip crisps- Try these no-bake cherry crips when you need a fast and easy dessert to share.

📖 Recipe Card