These cherry bars take the delicious buttery crust and cherry pie filling we all love in cherry pie and transform them into hand-held bars perfect for dessert, snacking, or parties.

We're a family that loves our dessert bars. From frosted sugar cookie bars to our O'Henry bars, we love anything sweet and hand-held. These cherry bars are perfect for any occasion because they have all the flavor of cherry pie in a grab-and-go package that guests can enjoy while they mingle.
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Why You’ll Love This Cherry Bars Recipe
- Easy Ingredients: These use simple baking ingredients found in almost every kitchen.
- Easy to Make: It only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish to make these bars.
- Classic Flavor: These bars have a buttery crust with cherry filling topping for classic flavor.
- Convenient: They are so quick and easy that they make a convenient dessert or sweet treat for parties.
Ingredients

- Butter: A full cup of butter gives the crust a rich, buttery flavor and great texture.
- Cherry Pie Filling: Canned pie filling makes it easy to make these cherry bars.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds some sweetness to the dough and compliments the cherries.
- Eggs: They hold everything together and give them their light and fluffy texture.
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt are the base of the dough.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact quantities of each ingredient.
Flavor Variations and Substitutions
- Pie Filling: Use your favorite pie filling to make different kinds of bars.
- Lemon Glaze: Use lemon juice in place of milk to make a lemon glaze that's perfect with the fruity flavor of the bars.
- Fresh Filling: Make your own pie filling for these bars if you're feeling fancy.
How To Make Cherry Bars
Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray non-stick cooking spray in a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.

- Cream butter and granulated sugar using either a hand or stand mixer.

- Slowly add vanilla extract and one egg at a time, creaming until light and fluffy. Then, sift flour, baking powder, and salt, and gradually mix into the egg mixture.

- Spread ⅔ of the batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

- Gently spread the cherry pie filling on top. Scoop the remaining batter on top of the cherries. (Do not cover the cherries completely)

- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough starts to turn a slight golden brown color. Remove from the oven and cool.

- Using a wire whisk, mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Once the bars are cool, drizzle the glaze on top. To do this, pour the glaze into a Ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner.
Hint
Drop the top layer of pie crust dough onto the pie filling with a spoon. Don't spread it on; you want to see the filling underneath.
Storage
Refrigerate these bars for up to 5 days in an air-tight container. For longer storage, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
Defrost the bars overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

What To Serve With Cherry Pie Bars
Serve these cherry bars as part of a larger dessert spread at parties with other single-serve treats like our white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, chocolate chip cookie cheesecake bars, 7-layer magic cookies, and Golden Graham S'Mores bars.
These bars also make a delicious dessert after comfort food meals like beef stroganoff, vegetable beef soup, or chicken stuffing casserole.
Tips
- Fully soften your butter and bring your eggs to room temperature for the best crust texture.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together to eliminate lumps and make mixing easier.
- Be sure they are cooled a bit before adding the glaze so they set rather than melt.
- Cool the bars before cutting them so they hold their shape.

FAQ
These are bars made with a buttery crust base, cherry pie filling topping, and a cobbler-like topping made with more crust dough.
Cherry pars are likely to fall apart if you cut them before they're fully cooled. Cooling the bars allows the crust to fully sweet and retain their shape when cut into bars.
With all the big names out there, it might surprise you to know that the cherry pie filling that's routinely ranked as the best is Market Pantry, Target's in-house brand.
More Yummy Desserts with Fruit
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Cherry Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 can cherry pie filling
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray non-stick cooking spray in a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- Cream together butter and granulated sugar using either a hand mixer, or a stand mixer.
- Slowly add vanilla extract and one egg at a time. Cream together until light and fluffy.
- Then, sift flour, baking powder, and salt, and gradually mix into the egg mixture.
- Spread ⅔ of the batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Next, gently spread the cherry pie filling on top. Scoop the remaining batter on top of the cherries. (Do not cover the cherries completely)
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough starts to turn a slight golden brown color. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Using a wire whisk mix together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk in a medium bowl. Mix until there are no lumps.
- Once the Bars are cool, drizzle the glaze on top of them. I did this by pouring the glaze into a Ziploc bag and cutting a small hole in the corner.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Fully soften your butter and bring your eggs to room temperature for the best crust texture.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together to eliminate lumps and make mixing easier.
- Be sure the bars are cooled a bit before adding the glaze so it sets rather than melts.
- Cool the bars before cutting them so they hold their shape.
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
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