Cherry Pie Bars

It’s cherry pie, but way easier and way more portable. Why, hello there my new friend, Cherry Pie Bars!

Whether it’s cherry season or not, these squares of joy are perfect for any occasion. I’m even thinking they’ll be quite perfect for Thanksgiving dessert instead of my usual pie recipe.

Loaded with a buttery crust on the bottom and some more sprinkled on top and jam-packed with an easy cherry pie filling, these Cherry Pie Bars are your new go-to, easy as pie recipe!

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Portable Cherry Pie in the Form of Bars

Fruit pies are so heartwarmingly delicious and satisfying, especially warm out of the oven with a big ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of fresh whipped cream. They can be time-consuming and sometimes difficult to make as well, which can suck all the joy out of the pie-making process.

In comes pie in bar form! These Cherry Pie Bars have all the very best qualities of actual pie, without all the hassle, shrinking pie dough, blind baking, etc that comes along with pie-making.

Plus, this pie bar recipe is super versatile in that you can substitute the fruit for other in-season fruit if you so choose. Try it with peaches for a late-summer treat or try making these pie bars with apples, strawberries or plums.

The origination of this Cherry Pie Bars Recipe

My sister and I started a cookbook exchange recently and it’s such a great idea (hers, not mine)! Here’s how it works: we search through our respective stashes of cookbooks, pick out a few we think the other would like, we exchange them for a short period of time, and we (loosely) commit to making something out of each one during the borrowing period. We also send each other mouthwatering pictures of what we make as a bonus!

This is the first time we’ve done it and I already cannot wait to do it again. Not only does this cookbook exchange give me a renewed appreciation for my own cookbooks as I sort through them to decide which ones to share, but it forces me (in the best way possible!) to bake from all these beautiful books that I tend to forget about when they’re up in the cabinet.

Cookbooks are Dreamy

In the pile of cookbooks I am borrowing was a beautiful hardcover (love hard cover vs soft for some reason) cookbook from a bakery in Georgia called The Back In the Day Bakery. The couple who runs it has a beautiful story and they produce amazing treats. The recipes from their bakery are packed into this delightful cookbook, aptly called The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.

I’ve already made several recipes from this cookbook. And, I have almost the entire book earmarked for more. I just might not give it back! Just kidding, Steph 😉. These Cherry Pie Bars were the very first recipe I made from this book. I am in love with them and with this cookbook. I couldn’t wait to share these with you!

Tips for Making Cherry Pie Bars

• For this recipe, the cookbook suggests using two 16-ounce bags of frozen cherries. I actually made these with just over one pound (16+ ounces) of fresh cherries and they came out perfectly. My recommendation would be to use whatever you can get your hands on. If it’s cherry season, definitely try fresh if you can find them in your area
• The crust of these cherry pie bars is baked prior to the filling. Hence, the baking time states a total of one hour, however, that’s broken up into two baking segments. The crust gets baked until golden for 15 minutes then the filling is added and the entire thing gets baked until bubbly and delicious. Part of the crust is also used to sprinkle on top of the filling, so be sure to reserve some of the crust mixture for this purpose
• As the recipe states, these cherry pie bars need to cool completely before they’re sliced into bars. You can slice them into 12 very large bars or 24 smaller bars. I opt for the smaller bars, even though I may end up eating the equivalent of 2 large bars when all is said and done. No judging, okay?! If you can’t bear the wait for these bars to cool or you don’t have enough time for them cool, you can scoop them out of the pan while warm and serve with a scoop of ice cream

Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.

Looking for more fruit dessert recipes? Give these a try:

• Maple Apple Galette
• Grilled Peaches with Honey and Ice Cream
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Macerated Berries and Whipped Mascarpone

Cherry Pie Bars

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Loaded with a buttery crust on the bottom and some more sprinkled on top and jam-packed with an easy cherry pie filling, these Cherry Pie Bars are your new go-to, easy as pie recipe!

• Author: Kim | kickassbaker.com
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 24 bars 1x
• Category: Cherry Pie, Cookie Bars
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Crust & Topping:

• 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks / 340 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into cubes

For the Filling:

• 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (227 grams) full-fat sour cream
• 1 ½ – 2 pounds (700-900 grams) fresh cherries, pits removed and quartered OR two 16-ounce packages frozen cherries, thawed and drained

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, allowing the ends of the paper to hang over two opposite edges of the pan. Set aside
2. Make the Crust and Topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and mix on low speed until well blended. With the mixer running on low, add the cubed butter a little at a time, beating until the mixture looks dry and crumbly, like wet sand. Set aside 1 ½ cups of the mixture for the topping; refrigerate it while the crust is baking. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before adding the filling
3. Prepare the Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the eggs and sour cream and whisk until smooth. Gently fold in the cherries, mixing with as few strokes as possible. Pour the filling over the slightly cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping evenly on top of the filling
4. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting into squares. Alternatively, scoop them out with a spoon while they are warm and serve with vanilla ice cream

 

Equipment

Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

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9 x 3-inch baking pan

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whisk

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stand mixer

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parchment paper

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Notes

• Store cooled bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
• Recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

 

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