This easy Cherry Bar recipe with cherry pie filling and a simple cookie dough is a classic fruity treat for any time of year.
This is a fantastic dessert recipe. It’s a not too sweet bar cookie that is incredibly easy to make. The cookie batter puffs up around the pie filling during baking for a beautiful almost stained glass look. I was inspired to share this recipe after seeing my friend Bonnie’s beautiful cookies.
Update: I’ve updated this classic cherry pie bar recipe with new tips and photos to help you make this crowd-pleasing dessert. Enjoy!
How to Make Easy Cherry Bars
This is a quick and easy dessert recipe. To make the bars, start by letting the butter and eggs come to room temperature. This ensures even baking.
Be sure to evenly coat your cake pan with butter, including in the corners and around the sides. The easiest way to do this is to open one end of a stick of butter and hold the stick to wipe it all around the pan.
The batter for this cookie is stiffer than other doughs, but it’s still easily spreadable. An offset spatula works really well to spread it evenly in the prepared pan. If you don’t have one, you can also use a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon.
Make sure to spread the batter into the corners evenly so they don’t brown before the rest of the cookie is baked.
Filling Homemade Cherry Pie Bars
To ensure that you divide the cherry filling evenly among the bars, I recommend scoring the batter in the cake pan. Use a knife to make shallow lines in the cookie dough sketching out 24 equal squares. These lines will disappear during baking.
Then, spoon the cherry filling into each square. I find it helpful to make sure each square has 2-3 whole cherries as well as the filling. Then, do not push the cherries into the batter, they will sink on their own as the batter bakes.
To serve, let the bars cool to room temperature and sprinkle with powdered sugar before slicing.
Storing Cherry Bars
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to four days. You can also freeze the bars for up to three months.
More Bar Recipes to Try
If you love easy cherry bars, give these other treats a try next:
- Key Lime Coconut Cashew Bars are zesty, bright and just sweet enough with a creamy, nutting filling.
- Fall Millionaire Magic Bars have a shortbread crust and decadence from toffee, coconut and M&Ms.
- White Chocolate Raspberry Bars from That Skinny Chick Can Bake have the perfect balance of fruity and sweet.
Cherry Pie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can cherry pie filling I used Lucky Leaf Premium Cherry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Butter a 17"x12"x1" sheet cake pan.
- In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix just until blended. Add the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture just until blended. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Mark the batter into 24 squares by pressing lightly with a sharp knife. Spoon 1 tablespoon of fruit filling into the center of each square. Do not press the filling into the batter (the batter will puff up around the filling as it bakes).
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Claire @ Claire K Creations
These look so pretty and seem deceptively easy to make! I love a biscuit that doesn’t require rolling and balling and all that hard work.
Thanks!
marla {family fresh cooking}
Your cookie bars are very festive and beautiful! Those red cherries would be so pretty on a Christmas table. Thanks for telling us about that Lucky Leaf filling, I always like to learn about new products. xo
pigpigscorner
They all puffed up so nicely!
rebecca
oh these look so pretty and perfect for the season
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
These look amazing! Can’t wait to meet you next week!
Lorraine Not Quite Nigella
These look so good mum! I like chery with lots of fruit and citrus too-we think alike! Xxx
Barbara
I love this recipe, Barbara! I would have put more cherries in too. 🙂 I can’t wait to try these and watch how they puff up!
Nutmeg Nanny
How delicious do these look! I could totally eat 1, 2, 3…… 🙂
Asha@FSK
Ohhh!! these look so good! Barbara, I am loving your creations for this years 12 weeks!!
Crustabakes
i dont think i would have minded the extra filling!
Lora
Wow. These are beautiful!
megan
Those are so cool! I imagine you could use any thick type of filling – I say that because I have a container of strawberry cherry preserves in the freezer that is begging to be used.
And besides, that looks to me like it’s a faster way to make a pie! 🙂
Katie Rose
At first glace I thought these were puff pasty, they look delicious! I love cherries and this looks like a marvelous way to showcase them. I personally would also go with a large-ish dollop of cherries because I’d want cherries in every bite!
Bonnie
I’m so glad you liked the cherry bars. I think it’s wonderful that we can adapt and change things to suit our tastes. I like the bigger amount of filling. In fact, we have been putting more of the filling in our bars lately. Yours look beautiful Barbara.
Tracy
What gorgeous cookies! And they look so easy to make.
Lisa
What lovely cookies. They look so fluffy.
Steph@stephsbitebybite
These are beautiful!! What a great job! I gotta try these out!
Sue
These look so pretty, Barbara! My cherry-lovin’ daughter would love these, and with the almond too;) Have a great weekend! Sue:)
Rosa
Delicious looking! Great bars.
Cheers,
Rosa
Erin @ Making Memories
Yours look pretty darn good, though!!!