Cherry Pie Bars

Hello Fourth of July! Who doesn’t love a summer BBQ with a classic summer dessert? Cherry pie is about as summery as it gets, with in season cherries and a buttery pie crust. But to make it easier (and even more delicious) we are going to make cherry pie bars. Making the recipe as listed below fills an 8 x 8 pan, but you can also double the batch and make it in a 9 x 13 pan. And the more cherry pie bars, the merrier. We are using a little almond extract in the filling because the cherry and almond combination is just perfection. Between the buttery oat crust, the cherry almond filling, and the sweet and simple glaze, they’re a dessert you’re going to want to make again and again.

Ingredients for Cherry Pie Bars

• Cherries: You can use tart or sweet cherries in this recipe. If you’re using sweet cherries, I recommend adding some lemon juice to the filling mixture.
• Lemon juice (optional): I only recommend using the lemon juice if you are using sweet cherries!
• Almond extract: The cherry + almond mixture is perfect. But if you don’t have or don’t like almond extract, vanilla extract is also great.
• Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps thicken the filling to allow the pie bars to hold their shape.
• Butter: All good pies have butter! The crumbly oat crust has a healthy amount of butter.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is what we are using here.
• Oats: Rolled oats, or old-fashioned oats, give the crust the perfect texture.
• Brown sugar: The nutty notes of brown sugar add great flavor to the crust, and give the crumble topping the perfect texture.
• Baking soda: Just a little bit to help with rise.
• Salt: All desserts need salt for balance.
• Powdered sugar: For the glaze!
• Milk, cream, or half and half: To help thin the glaze to the right consistency.

How to Make Cherry Pie Bars

• First, pit your cherries and add them to a saucepan. Cherry pitters don’t have to be expensive, but they save a ton of time and effort so I recommend getting one! If you’re using sweet cherries, add the lemon juice to the saucepan as well. Then add the cornstarch, almond extract, and just a little water and cook for about 15 minutes to soften the cherries and form a sauce. If using tart cherries, add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to the filling mixture.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add to the flour mixture. Stir to combine.
• Spray an 8 x 8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Press about 2/3 of the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan, then spread the cherry filling on top. Crumble the remaining crust mixture onto the top.
• Bake for about 15 minutes and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan, slicing, and adding the glaze. For the glaze just mix together the powdered sugar, milk/cream/half and half, and almond extract and drizzle over the bars
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or enjoy as is!

Whether you make these cherry pie bars for the Fourth of July or anytime cherries are in season, they are a truly delicious dessert that everyone will love. As a bonus they’re very portable and great to bring to a neighborhood BBQ!