These easy to prepare cherry pie crumb bars are an absolute delight! They won't last long, as the buttery shortbread crust paired with the fresh cherry pie filling is just too enticing to resist!
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 40 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr
Shortbread Crust and Topping:
Make the Crust and Crumble Topping:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
Add all of the ingredients for the shortbread crust and topping to a large mixing bowl and mix well until everything is combined. Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and set it aside to use as topping later. Note: there is no need to separate the dry ingredients from the wet ingredients, as everything can be mixed at the same time.
Transfer the rest of the crust mixture to the prepared baking dish and press it into an even layer. I use my hands for this. Poke the crust several times with a fork to ensure it bakes evenly.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly golden brown.
While the crust is baking, prepare the cherry pie filling.
Prepare the Cherry Pie Filling:
Add the pitted cherries, fresh lemon juice, and pure maple syrup to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat on the stove top. Allow the mixture to come to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, use a fork or a potato masher to mash the cherries to your desired consistency. I leave them fairy chunky.
Stir in the flour and a pinch of sea salt and continue stirring until any lumps of flour have dissolved and the filling is nice and thick.
Prepare the Cherry Pie Bars:
Pour the cherry filling over the prepared crust and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the top of the filling.
Bake (still at 350) for 22 to 30 minutes or until the topping is slightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely to room temperature. To speed up the process, you can allow the bars to cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack and then transfer them to the refrigerator to cool the rest of the way.
At this point, the bars are ready for consumption so you can either slice them into individual slices and serve them as is, or you can make the amazing glaze (I recommend making the glaze).
*If you enjoy the flavor of almond extract, I recommend adding ½ tsp of almond extract in addition to the vanilla extract if you have them on hand. You can skip both if you don’t and the bars will still taste great.
How to Slice Cherry Pie Bars:
After the bars have cooled completely, lift the sides of the parchment paper and pull the whole batch of bars out of the pan to transfer to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut 9 to 12 bars.
Serving: 1Bar (of 9), Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 104mg, Potassium: 120mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 15g
Course: Desserts & Treats
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cherry pie bars, cherry recipes, gluten free crumb bars, gluten free dessert recipes, vegan dessert bars, vegan dessert recipes
Author: Julia Mueller