These cherry pie bars are bursting with bright, fruity flavor, layered between a shortbread cookie base and a nutty, sweet crumble on top. They’re the perfect bakery-style dessert to serve at a party or gathering and much less messy (and work!) than a classic cherry pie.
Cherry pie is a classic summertime dessert that my kids request every summer. There’s something about that warm filling with crumbly crust paired with vanilla ice cream.
These cherry pie bars are an easier recipe than a regular pie, but with the same flavors. I love using a buttery shortbread crust and a crumble topping for a pie bar that’s over-the-top delicious.
Drizzled with an almond glaze, every bite of these cherry almond bars will have your friends and family asking for the recipe (mine do all the time!). Plus, they’re so much easier to bring and serve at any potluck or picnic. If you love a cherry dessert, my cherry cheesecake and chocolate cherry cake are two others to try.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
I know I can’t stop at just one slice. And you won’t either!
- Cherry pie meets a cookie bar. These bars have so much flavor and texture, they taste as if they came from a bakery.
- Easy for beginner bakers to make. If making a pie from scratch intimidates you, try these bars instead! It’s as easy as making a simple cookie dough. No pie crust skills required!
- Perfect to make in advance. Since it’s best to chill these bars to set, make them the day before or morning of an event. There’s no reason to skip out on dessert!
Key Ingredients Notes
Shortbread Base:
- All-purpose flour – The flour base that provides structure to the shortbread crust.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure it’s softened for even mixing of the base of the cookie.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the cookie dough. You’ll cream this with the softened butter.
- Light brown sugar – Responsible for giving it a chewy texture and a hint of caramel flavor.
- Fine salt – A pinch of salt to help bring out all the other flavors.
- Vanilla extract adds a touch of both caramel and floral notes, use pure extract and not imitation for the best flavor.
Crumble Topping:
- Shortbread base – Reserve some of the cookie to add on top.
- Coarse or turbinado sugar – Gives nice texture to the top of the cookie with an extra hint of caramel flavor.
- Ground cardamom – A warming spice; if you don’t care for the flavor of cardamom, you can easily omit it.
Cherry Filling:
- Cherry pie filling – Use a store-bought can of cherry pie filling. You can also make the filling from my homemade cherry pie . Also, choose sour cherry pie filling if you can! You can try other fruity pie fillings as well.
- Fresh lemon juice – Squeeze it fresh, it brightens all of the flavors.
- Lemon zest – A second component of the lemon to add even more vibrant notes.
Topping:
- Sliced almonds – Gives a nutty and rich crunch. You can also use walnuts or pecans if you desire.
Almond Glaze:
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens the glaze and helps to make it the correct consistency.
- Milk – Adds creaminess to the glaze. Add less for a thicker glaze and more for a thinner glaze.
- Almond extract – A little drop will add rich almond flavor.
How to make cherry pie bars
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
Step 1: Make the Crust
- Cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Add the flour and mix just until a soft dough forms.
Step 2: Prepare the crumble topping
- Reserve about ¾ cup of the dough.
- To the reserved portion, gently mix in the coarse sugar and a pinch of ground cardamom. This will be the crumble topping.
Step 3: Bake the crust
- Press the remaining dough firmly and evenly into the prepared pan to form the base layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly set and just beginning to turn golden brown at the edges.
Step 4: Make the cherry filling
- While the crust pre-bakes, stir the cherry pie filling with the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Step 5: Assemble and bake the bars
- Remove the crust from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- Spread the cherry filling evenly over the warm crust.
- Crumble the reserved dough over the top, leaving some cherry filling visible.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds evenly across the surface.
- Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until the crumble is lightly golden and the filling bubbles gently at the edges.
- Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- Lift out using the parchment sling, then cut with a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts to achieve bakery-style edges.
Step 6: Ice the bars
- Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract in a small bowl until smooth and lightly pourable.
- Drizzle over chilled bars before serving.
Expert Tips
- Swap the almond extract for vanilla. If you aren’t a fan of almond or already have vanilla at home, this works perfectly well!
- Use another fruit pie filling. You can also try this with blueberry, raspberry, or peach pie filling! All these flavors are delicious.
- Reserve some of the shortbread cookie dough for the crumble topping. Mixing in turbinado sugar helps to give it more crunch.
- Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before refrigerating. This helps to guarantee they set properly for the best texture and flavor.
- For clean slices of the pie bars, chill them fully before slicing. Dip a knife into hot water, wipe it dry, then cut into bars, wiping the knife clean in between.
- If you prefer a cherry pie bar that isn’t too sweet, don’t add the almond glaze on top.
Storage
Store the leftover cherry pie bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, I like to let the pie bars sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to take the chill off.
You can also freeze the bars for up to 2 months and thaw on the counter until soft to serve. The texture may be a little softer, but the flavor will still be bright.
FAQs
Make sure you cool the pie bars fully, then refrigerate them to help the filling set to the perfect consistency.
Yes, you could use blueberry, peach, apple, or strawberry. Any canned fruit pie filling in the baking section will work great!
Of course! Swap the almonds for walnuts or pecans if you desire.
More Easy Dessert Bar Recipes
- Caramel chocolate chip cookie bars
- German chocolate brownies
- Red velvet cake brownies
- Monster cookie bars
Cherry Pie Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Base:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble Topping:
- ¾ cup of shortbread base
- 2 tablespoons coarse or turbinado sugar
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Cherry Filling:
- 1 (21oz) can cherry pie filling
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Almond Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
To make the shortbread crust:
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Add the flour and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Remove about ¾ cup of the dough for crumb topping.
- Press the remaining dough firmly and evenly into the prepared pan to form the base layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly set and just beginning to turn golden at the edges.
To make the crumb topping:
- In a large bowl, gently mix the reserved shortbread dough with coarse sugar, and a pinch of ground cardamom.
To prepare the cherry pie filling:
- While the crust pre-bakes, stir the cherry pie filling with the lemon juice and lemon zest.
To assemble the bar:
- Remove the crust from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- Spread the cherry filling evenly over the warm crust.
- Crumble the reserved dough over the top, leaving some cherry filling visible.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds evenly across the surface.
To bake:
- Bake for 55–60 minutes, or until the crumble is lightly golden and the filling bubbles gently at the edges.
- Cool completely in the pan, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing.
- Lift out using the parchment sling, then cut with a sharp knife. (TIP: For ultra-sharp bakery-style edges, dip a knife in hot water, wipe dry, and cut in smooth strokes. Do not skip chilling time if clean slices are desired. )
To prepare the glaze:
- Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth and lightly pourable.
- Drizzle over chilled bars before serving. (You may omit the glaze, if you prefer less sweet treats.)
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Tips & Notes
– Store the leftover cherry pie bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
– You can also freeze the bars for up to 2 months and thaw on the counter until soft to serve.
Nutrition
