Description
Cherry Bars are a delightful and festive treat perfect for Christmas morning or any special occasion. These bars feature a buttery, tender crust layered with sweet cherry pie filling and topped with a luscious glaze that combines vanilla and almond extracts. With a balanced sweetness and a crumbly texture, these cherry bars are easy to make and sure to impress your family and guests.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
For the Filling
- 2 cans (21 ounces each) cherry pie filling
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the correct temperature while you prepare the dough and filling.
- Cream butter, sugar, and salt: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the softened butter, sugar, and salt until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, which helps incorporate air for a tender texture.
- Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to fully incorporate them and create a smooth batter.
- Mix in extracts: Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts to infuse the dough with subtle aromatic flavors.
- Add flour: Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour until it is well combined and forms a soft dough.
- Prepare baking pan: Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Spread dough base: Press 3 cups of the dough evenly into the bottom of the greased pan, forming a sturdy base layer.
- Add cherry filling: Spread the 2 cans of cherry pie filling evenly over the dough base, ensuring the filling covers the entire surface.
- Top with remaining dough: Drop the remaining dough by teaspoonfuls evenly over the cherry filling, creating a rustic, crumbly top layer.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the bars are golden brown on top and the filling is bubbly around the edges.
- Cool bars: Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack to set the filling and firm up the dough layers.
- Prepare glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and enough whole milk (2 to 3 tablespoons) to make a smooth, drizzle-able glaze.
- Glaze bars: Drizzle the prepared glaze evenly over the cooled cherry bars to add a sweet and shiny finish.
Notes
- For a thicker glaze, use less milk; for a thinner glaze, add milk gradually.
- You can substitute cherry pie filling with other fruit pie fillings for different flavors.
- Make sure the bars are completely cooled before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- These bars can be frozen without glaze for up to 2 months; add glaze after thawing.
