{"id":803,"date":"2026-01-21T02:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T02:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=803"},"modified":"2026-01-21T02:20:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T02:20:24","slug":"cherry-pie-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=803","title":{"rendered":"Cherry Pie Bars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0Cherry Pie Bars \u2013 Soft, Buttery, and Fruity Dessert<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you love cherry pie but want something faster and easier to serve, these <strong>Cherry Pie Bars<\/strong> are the perfect solution. With a buttery, cookie-like crust, a luscious cherry filling, and a light vanilla glaze on top, they deliver all the flavor of a classic cherry pie in convenient bar form.<\/p>\n<p>These bars are soft, slightly chewy, and full of sweet cherry flavor. They\u2019re perfect for family gatherings, holidays, bake sales, or a simple homemade treat for when you\u2019re craving something fruity and comforting. Plus, they\u2019re easy to slice, making them ideal for sharing\u2014or keeping all to yourself!<\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0Ingredients<\/h2>\n<h3>For the Crust and Base<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>1 cup (2 sticks) <strong>unsalted butter<\/strong>, softened<\/li>\n<li>1 cup <strong>granulated sugar<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>2 large <strong>eggs<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon <strong>vanilla extract<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>2\u00bd cups <strong>all-purpose flour<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon <strong>baking powder<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00bc teaspoon <strong>salt<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>For the Cherry Filling<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>2 cups <strong>pitted cherries<\/strong> (fresh or frozen)<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd cup <strong>granulated sugar<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons <strong>cornstarch<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon <strong>lemon juice<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon <strong>vanilla extract<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>For the Vanilla Glaze<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>1 cup <strong>powdered sugar<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>2\u20133 tablespoons <strong>milk<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon <strong>vanilla extract<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0Instructions<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Preheat the Oven<\/h3>\n<p>Preheat your oven to <strong>350\u00b0F (175\u00b0C)<\/strong>. Line a 9\u00d713-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Make the Crust<\/h3>\n<p>In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.<\/p>\n<p>Press about <strong>two-thirds of the dough<\/strong> evenly into the prepared pan to form the base. Set the remaining dough aside for the topping.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Prepare the Cherry Filling<\/h3>\n<p>In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy, about 5\u20137 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Assemble the Bars<\/h3>\n<p>Spread the cherry filling evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top, leaving some cherry filling visible for a rustic look.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Bake<\/h3>\n<p>Bake for <strong>35\u201340 minutes<\/strong>, or until the top is lightly golden and the cherry filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Add the Glaze<\/h3>\n<p>In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bars.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Slice and Serve<\/h3>\n<p>Once the glaze is set, cut into squares or rectangles and serve. These bars are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature for <strong>2\u20133 days<\/strong>, or in the refrigerator for up to <strong>5 days<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0Tips for the Best Cherry Pie Bars<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Use <strong>frozen cherries<\/strong> if fresh cherries are out of season\u2014they work just as well.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure to <strong>thicken the cherry filling<\/strong> slightly; otherwise, the bars may be too soft.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t overbake\u2014the topping should be lightly golden, not dark brown.<\/li>\n<li>For a richer flavor, add a pinch of almond extract to the cherry filling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0Variations &amp; Add-Ons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Berry Mix:<\/strong> Substitute half the cherries with blueberries or raspberries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nutty Crunch:<\/strong> Sprinkle chopped almonds or pecans on top before baking.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chocolate Cherry Bars:<\/strong> Drizzle melted chocolate over the glaze for a decadent twist.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mini Bars:<\/strong> Use a 9\u00d79-inch pan for thicker, smaller bars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u00a0Serving Suggestions<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Serve with <strong>vanilla ice cream<\/strong> or whipped cream for a dessert upgrade.<\/li>\n<li>Perfect for <strong>holiday platters, picnics, or bake sales<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Great as a <strong>grab-and-go snack<\/strong> for lunchboxes or coffee breaks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; \u00a0Cherry Pie Bars \u2013 Soft, Buttery, and Fruity Dessert &nbsp; If you love cherry pie but want something faster&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home","category-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=803"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":805,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803\/revisions\/805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/food.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}