Cherry Bars

By Valentina Dimitrova | Updated on June 10, 2024

Prepare these easy cherry bars with a sweet cherry pie filling and a white chocolate drizzle in just 15 minutes. They make the best dessert for summer potlucks, picnics, and parties!

Several cherry dessert bars drizzled with melted white chocolate on a baking sheet.

How to Make Cherry Bars

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease a 13 x 9 inches (33 x 23 cm) baking pan and set aside.
  2. Prepare the batter: In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together at medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just incorporated (Do not overbeat them!). Beat the flour and salt at low speed until just incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and ½ cup of the chocolate chips until combined.
  3. Layer the cherry pie bars into the baking pan: Spread 3 cups of the batter in the greased baking pan. Then, spread the pie filling on top of the batter. Drop the remaining dough by tablespoonfuls on top of the cherry pie topping, spreading gently to cover the filling as much as possible. Distribute the remaining ¼ cup of the white chocolate chips.
  4. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool on a rack and slice. Since I used only 1 can of cherry pie filling instead of the two called for in the original recipe, these bars won't turn out soggy if served the following day.
  5. Make the glaze: Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave bowl and microwave at 50% power for about 1-½ to 2 minutes or until the chocolate is melted, pausing and stirring well every 30 seconds. Drizzle over bars using a fork. Bars can be served plain at room temperature, or warm accompanied by vanilla ice cream (my favorite way). Enjoy!
A pan of un-sliced summer dessert.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use a pan of a different size for this cherry bar recipe?

Sure! If you don't have a 13 x 9-inch pan, you may use 2 (8×8-inch or 9 x 9-inch baking pans). However, you may have to adjust the baking time.

Can I use a different kind of pie filling? 

Yes! You can use any canned pie filling as a variation for these cherry bars. Peach, blueberry, blackberry, or apple pie filling make great fruit pie filling options.

Can I freeze these cherry bars?

Yes! First, let them cool completely, cut the bars to your desired size, and then, freeze them in a freezer-safe container layered with parchment paper in between, for up to 3 months. After thawing them, you may drizzle their topping with melted white chocolate or other glaze of your liking. 

Summer cherry bars served in a plate.

How to Store Cherry Pie Bars

Store your cool cherry bars in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Love cherry desserts? Try also this Cherry blueberry slump!

Have you made and enjoyed this recipe for cherry bars? Please, leave your feedback!

Other Sweet Bars

PIN AND ENJOY!

Close up of cherry pie bars on a baking sheet.
Several cherry bars drizzled with a white chocolate glaze on a baking sheet.
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5 from 5 votes

Best Cherry Bars

Prepare these easy cherry bars with a sweet cherry pie filling and a white chocolate drizzle in just 15 minutes. They make the best dessert for summer potlucks, picnics, and parties!
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 bars
Calories377.2 kcal
Cost $ 0.50 per bar

Equipment

  • 1 oven
  • 1 Baking pan 13 x 9 inches
  • 1 microwave
  • 1 bowl
  • 1 Stand mixer

Ingredients

For the batter:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened, or 2 sticks
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
  • ¾ cup white chocolate chips divided (OPTIONAL)
  • 20 ounces of canned sweet cherry pie filling.

For the white chocolate glaze:

  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease a 13 x 9 inches (33 x 23 cm) baking pan and set aside.
  • Prepare the batter: In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together at medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until just incorporated (Do not overbeat them!). Beat the flour and salt at low speed until just incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and ½ cup of the chocolate chips until combined.
  • Layer the cherry pie bars into the baking pan: Spread 3 cups of the batter in the greased baking pan. Then, spread the pie filling on top of the batter. Drop the remaining dough by tablespoonfuls on top of the cherry pie topping, spreading gently to cover the filling as much as possible. Distribute the remaining ¼ cup of the white chocolate chips.
  • Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool on a rack and slice. Since I used only 1 can of cherry pie filling instead of the two called for in the original recipe, these bars won't turn out soggy if served the following day.
  • Make the glaze: Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave bowl and microwave at 50% power for about 1-½ to 2 minutes or until the chocolate is melted, pausing and stirring well every 30 seconds. Drizzle over bars using a fork. Bars can be served plain at room temperature, or warm accompanied by vanilla ice cream (my favorite way). Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

STORAGE: Store them, tightly covered, in a single layer at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. FREEZING: First, let them cool completely, cut the bars to your desired size, and then, freeze them in a freezer-safe container layered with parchment paper in between, for up to 3 months. After thawing them, you may drizzle their topping with melted white chocolate or other glaze of your liking.

Nutrition

Calories: 377.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.3g | Protein: 4.4g | Fat: 15.2g | Saturated Fat: 9.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 74.2mg | Sodium: 192.1mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 28.5g | Vitamin A: 509IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 29.5mg | Iron: 1.4mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

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This post was first published on June 2, 2013.  

5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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41 Comments

    1. LOL, Raymund!!!! You think exactly like my husband. When I said one is not enough, I was talking about one single bar but you and he was thinking about the whole baking pan... Hehe!!!

  1. I made cherry bars for the first time a few days ago after we went cherry picking and it was so good (actually this was my first time making bars so I'm overly excited). Next time I want to mix with chocolate too! These bars look delicious, Denise!

    1. Thanks, Nami! These bars are really delicious. My husband is not a fan of white chocolate but he devoured these bars pretty quick. I think I'll have to make this recipe again because it became one of his favs.

  2. These bars sound wonderful! I love that you used white chocolate with them!

  3. I want these deliciousness in my life! Love the use of vibrant juicy cherries here, Denise 🙂

  4. Oh Denise! Como eu gostaria de sua vizinha...e eu prometo que so terei um bar deste cherry pie bar 🙂
    Looks delicious and the pictures absolutely gorgeous.
    Hope you are having a lovely week my dear 🙂

    1. Thanks, Juliana! I'd love to have you as my neighbor. We'd share our dishes with each other and chat a lot. 🙂 Wishing you a great week!

  5. I just adore the seductive red cherries and voluptuous cake in these White Chocolate Cherry Pie Bars!
    What a luscious dessert!

  6. Wow Denise, what a gorgeous looking dessert!
    I can fully understand that your hubby can't get enough of this, it' s just so tempting.
    I love the addition of cherries they have such a bright color and a delicate aroma. Definitlely, one is not enough 🙂

    1. Thank you, Daniela! I have to say that both my husband and I love this dessert. Although I ate several bars, my husband ate almost the whole batch by himself. I think I will have to make these bars again. 🙂

  7. Oh, yum! I'd love to sink my teeth into one of those luscious looking white chocolate cherry pie bars =) So glad you shared your recipe, Denise. Perhaps I can replicate it in the Ninja Baker kitchen =)

    1. Thank you! You are more than welcome to replicate this recipe in your blog. I loved your recipe for the chocolate party as well.

  8. Oh I am loving the Chocolate Party, I am going around to look ay everyone's dishes and they are all amazing!! So many delicious combinations of chocolate and cherry!

    Your dessert looks absolutely luscious!! I know every mouthful would be absolute bliss! The cherries look so red and lush.

  9. Crazy but I didn't even think about white chocolate as an option. This looks fantastic!

  10. White chocolate and cherries. Fabulous combination, Denise. The pie looks easy enough for little ones to help out a bit for father's day.

    1. It is, Lail! Children can certainly spread the batter and filling, and help slice the bars. They would be delighted to top the bars with ice cream.

  11. That is one gorgeos looking dessert! Did you know I never cooked cherries in my life? Amazing, but true.

    I normally just eat the fruit, and I think once I had a cherry type cobbler, but that was it.

    oh, well - I am pinning your recipe right away!