Cherry Pie Bars are a lovely summer treat and will last for a long time in the refrigerator or, of course. freezer.
Cherry Pie Bars
See these links to Oatmeal Streusel crust or Sweet Cream Cheese Filling options.
Makes twenty 2.5″ bars if cut 4 X 5.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cherry Filling
- 6 cups sweet pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Place all the cherries, sugar, and lemon juice into a large saucepan. Let them sit for about 20 minutes to draw the natural juices out of the cherries.
Stir in the cornstarch until there are no lumps.
Place over medium-high heat and stir while it heats up. Once it comes to a boil, cook for a couple of minutes as the filling thickens.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
How to Make Streusel
- 1 cup or one stick unsalted butter, cold (cut into small pieces)
- 3 cup flour
- 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
To make the streusel, place all ingredients except for the eggs into the food processor and pulse until they are well combined and the butter is about the size of peas. Slowly add the egg and pulse until it becomes a beautiful, crumbly streusel. Don’t let the crumbles come together! Watch closely.
Spray a 9″ X 13″ pan with non-stick baking spray.
Press half the streusel into the bottom of the pan to make the bottom crust.
Par bake the bottom crust in the preheated oven for about 13 minutes.
Pour the cherry filling over the bottom crust and, if you like, place about 8 thin slices of butter over the filling.
sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top of the filling.
Place the pan back into the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the top is light golden brown.
Almond Frosting
Make this frosting while your bars are cooling.
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Whisk all the frosting ingredients together until there are no lumps.
Allow the bars to cool to the touch and then drizzle with the almond frosting. It’s best to let them set for 30-60 minutes before enjoying.