Almond Cherry Pie Crumb Bars
Bright, buttery, and filled with jammy cherries, these are perfect for passing around this summer
Hello my lovely Fellow Nostalgics! It’s a slow Sunday here and I thought it was the perfect time to share a recipe I’ve made two weekends in a row now. With a buttery, almond-y shortbread crust and a perfectly tart cherry pie filling, these easy-to bake-bars have quickly become a fan favorite in my apartment!
Using canned cherry pie filling makes this recipe super simple and quick to make, and pairing it with a yummy homemade shortbread crust will have everyone asking you for the recipe this summer. You can even make these a day ahead, in fact I recommend it for easy slicing. This is the kind of lower-effort, high-reward dessert that looks impressive and comes together with minimal fuss. A.K.A. My favorite kind of bake.
Serve these cherry pie bars with a scoop of your favorite french vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Not a huge fan of cherry? You could even swap the cherry pie filling out for blueberry if that’s more your jam! (See what I did there?)
Hope you enjoy! Until next time, xoxo Elia
What You’ll Need:
For the Crust:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Filling:
• 21oz cherry pie filling (1 can)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Pinch of salt
For the Glaze: (Optional)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
How to Make it:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8x8” pan with parchment paper, set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add in the melted butter, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until a crumbly dough forms.
Set aside 1 cup of shortbread crust dough. Press the remaining dough into your prepared pan. Prick the crust all over with a fork.
Parbake your crust for 12 minutes.
While crust bakes, mix together your filling ingredients—the cherry pie filling, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt.
Spread the pie filling over the baked crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the reserved crust dough crumbles over the top.
Bake for an additional 38-40 minutes, or just until the crumble is turning a slight golden color. Let the bars cool completely, at least 2 hours, but I prefer overnight.
If adding glaze, mix together the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bars.
Slice into 16 squares and serve! These pair perfectly with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream or are super yummy on their own if that’s more your style!
*Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you’re baking these delicious cherry pie bars for a potluck or gathering, save yourself some stress before the the get together and cut these before you go/before your guests arrive. For buffet-style serving I like to put the individual cut bars into cupcake liners for easy transport and grabbing!