Cherry Almond Bars

A stack of three cherry cookie bars with slivered almonds and an almond glaze on top.

These Cherry Almond Bars have the perfect blend of a sweet buttery almond crust, and tart cherry filling. They're so easy to make, with just a few ingredients (including canned cherry pie filling) but taste as good as a bakery! Perfect for summer potlucks, or holiday parties!

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Servings:

Calories: 350kcal

Ingredients

For the Cherry Cookie Bars:

10 TBS unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
21 oz canned cherry pie filling
1/2 cup slivered almonds

For the Almond Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 TBS heavy cream
1/2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

For the Cherry Cookie Bars:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line an 8x8inch pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
In a large bowl, add the butter and granulated sugar and cream them together for a couple of minutes. 10 TBS unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and stir them into the mixture. 1 large egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp almond extract
Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix it together until you have a soft cookie dough. 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
Take 2/3 of the cookie dough and press it evenly into the bottom the prepared pan.
Scoop the cherry pie filling over the top of the cookie dough and smooth it out to spread it evenly. 21 oz canned cherry pie filling
Take off pieces of the remaining cookie dough and sprinkle them around the top of the cherry pie filling. They do not need to fully cover the cherry layer.
Sprinkle the almonds over the top of the cookie dough. 1/2 cup slivered almonds
Bake the bars for 28 to 35 minutes or until the top of the bars are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely.

For the Almond Glaze:

Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and almond extract to a small bowl and whisk them together. 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 TBS heavy cream, 1/2 tsp almond extract
Drizzle the glaze evenly over the top of the bars.
Slice them up and enjoy.

Notes

Use room temperature Ingredients - both the butter and egg should be brought to room temperature for about 30 minutes before mixing them into the dough to ensure they mix evenly.

Almond Extract - I love almond extract, but a little goes a long way. You only need about 1 teaspoon in total for this recipe, with the bars and the glaze.

Try other fruits - Try apple, blueberry, or peach pie filling instead of cherry!

Nutrition