Cherry Pie Bars
Cherry pie bars are easier to make than a classic cherry pie, and taste just as sweet with a vanilla cake crust, cherry pie filling, and crumble topping.
Ingredients
- 2 vanilla cake mix
- 2 large egg
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 21 to 42 ounces cherry pie filling
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. Beat with a hand (or stand) mixer until combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Remove half of the mixture and set aside. Press the remaining dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Spread cherry pie filling over the top of the baked base. One can of pie filling will cover the pie bars lightly. Use up to 2 cans of pie filling for extra cherry-filled pie bars.
- Sprinkle the reserved dough in clumps over the top of the cherry pie filling.
- Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the top of the bars is just beginning to brown.
- Cool bars completely.
- Whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to make a sugar glaze. Drizzle over the top of the cooled cherry pie bars.
- Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
- Keep in mind that you will get a different shape and depth of corner bars depending on the baking pan you are using. If you are using a baking pan with rounded corners (usually glass), your corner pieces will not come out quite so defined, while metal pans tend to have clean-cut corners that will give you better-formed corner bars.
- One can of pie filling will cover the pie bars lightly. Use up to 2 cans of pie filling for extra cherry-filled pie bars.