Easy Cherry Pie Bars

Calendar-wise, it may not be summer yet, but here in the Midwest, the temperatures have been definitely very summer-like!

In my opinion, there’s not much that screams summer than cherry pie. While cherry pie on it’s own is delicious, sometimes that crust can be finicky, and it’s not as easy to feed a crowd.

So this version hits all those amazing flavor notes of a classic cherry pie, but in a fun, easy to make, bar form!

The thick and buttery shortbread crust holds up the dreamy cherry pie filling, and there’s crumbled shortbread on top (to mimic that double crust pie).

Plus, I added crunchy chopped pecans and a sweet almond drizzle. I mean, does it get much better?

How to make cherry pie bars?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Make the crust. I like to do this in a food processor, but it can also be made using a pastry cutter or two forks in a criss-cross motion.
2. Bake the crust. For stability, the crust needs to be blind-baked.
3. Top with filling. Add pie filling.
4. Sprinkle top. Add some of the shortbread crust and pecans.
5. Bake. Bake one more time to set the filling and crust.
6. Drizzle. The glaze is added after the bars have cooled.

Variations of this recipe

• Nuts – we love the flavor of pecans with this cherry pie flavor, but walnuts are a great alternative.
• Nut-free – alternately, if you don’t care for nuts, feel free to omit them from this recipe.
• More filling – if you’d prefer more filling, feel free to use more cherry pie filling, however this may add some time to the baking time.
• Other fillings – I like to consider this a method, so this same recipe will work with just about any pie filling you’d like. Blueberry, apple, strawberry, etc.
• Glaze – feel free to add more glaze, or to use vanilla extract instead of almond in the glaze.
• Chocolate – it’s no secret that chocolate and cherries go together incredibly well. Instead of the glaze, try drizzling some melted milk or dark chocolate over the top of the bars.

Making cherry pie bars ahead of time

These pie bars are great to make ahead, I would just wait and add the drizzle of glaze right before serving.

Make sure to keep the pie bars covered in an airtight container (or covered tightly with foil).

Freezing

These cherry pie bars also freeze well! Bake the bars, then let cool completely and slice into individual bars. Hold off on the glaze.

Layer the bars with pieces of wax or parchment paper, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 3-6 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator, then drizzle with glaze and serve.

Storage

I like my pie bars to be served cold, so I keep mine in the refrigerator, but they are safe to keep at room temperature if you’d prefer them that way.

Refrigerated in an airtight container, they’ll last about a week, but bars stored at room temperature should last for about 4 days.