Cherry Bars are as easy to make as they are delicious. Topped with cherry pie filling and a sweet topping, this dessert will be your go-to recipe for your next potluck or gathering. For another quick recipe that will not disappoint, try my Cherry Vanilla Heaven Dessert.
Cherry Bars
Just like the name, these Cherry Bars are simple but full of cherry flavor. I love cherry pie, but sometimes making a homemade pie is a little daunting, and I just don’t have the time. So, having a cherry dessert that is easy to make and still satisfying for your sweet tooth works for me! And, it will work for you, too!
Cherry Bars Recipe
With just four ingredients, you can have a dessert ready to go for whatever occasion comes up! It’s nice to know that there are recipes out there that don’t require a huge list of ingredients, but still so good!
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour–You can use bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Confectioners’ sugar–Keep the confectioners’ sugar out to use for the icing that will go on top of the dessert.
- Butter–This is one recipe where I will stress using cold butter. Yes, I said cold. Usually, in baking, butter is kept at room temperature, but not in this case.
- Cherry pie filling–I used original pie filling, but you can always choose the lite variety.
How to Make Cherry Bars
Have I mentioned that Cherry Bars are easy to make? Well, they are. But, don’t let that fool you into thinking they are not delicious. Every time I have shared these bars, someone wants the recipe. Luckily, it’s an easy recipe to remember, since there are only four ingredients! To make the bars, preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, in a large bowl, blend the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and butter. I like to use my hands to mix these three ingredients together, but you can also use a blender or pastry cutter. Make sure the ingredients are well incorporated with the butter being no bigger than the size of a pea.
Once the ingredients have been mixed, press the mixture into an 8×8 inch prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or just until the edges are starting to turn golden. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool before pouring on the cherry pie filling. Finally, drizzle with the icing.
How to Make the Icing
All you need for the Cherry Bars icing is confectioners’ sugar and milk. I would start with 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon milk. Don’t start with too much milk–you can always add more if you want to change the consistency of the drizzle. Once you have your desired consistency, simply drizzle the icing all over the Cherry Bars. If you do not want to add the topping, the bars will still be delicious!
Looking for More Sweet Desserts?
Blueberry Lemon Heaven Dessert
Cherry Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (42g) confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) cold butter, diced
- 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
Icing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, blend the flour, confectioners sugar, and butter. You can use a food processor or pastry cutter, but I prefer my hands. You want the butter to be no bigger than a pea size and the ingredients to be well incorporated.
- Press into an 8x8 inch pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. (The edges should just barely start to golden.)
- After the crust has cooled, pour the cherry pie filling over the crust.
Icing
- In a medium bowl combine confectioners sugar and milk. Add more milk (one teaspoon at a time) to reach your desired consistency. Drizzle over bars and serve!.
Did you make this recipe?
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Cherry bars are awesome … big hit at gatherings or just at home.
Can I use regular granulated sugar instead of powdered?
Hi – I have my mom’s recipe for cherry pie. Is there any way to use her “filling” in any of your recipes? This looks like an amazing one for it, but would I have to pre-cook it – as if it were in a pie??
Everyone loves her recipe – it’s a family favorite.
Trish
These are delicious! So much easier than making a cherry pie.
Funny thing, I didn’t read the recipe closely and I put the cherry filling
over the flour mixture before I had baked it. Only discovering it after I’d put it in the oven.
Guess what? It came out fine!! I was so happy; it was still delicious!!