Cherry Pie Bars

🧂 Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter

  (softened - 12 tablespoons, or 1½ sticks butter)
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs

  (at room temperature)
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 21 oz cherry pie filling

  (1 21-ounce can or see my recipe)
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

  (or whole milk, or half & half)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• 1 Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan using
  non-stick cooking spray, baking spray, or butter.
• 2 Add the ¾ cup butter, 1½ cups sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt to the mixer bowl and
  cream the ingredients together.
• 3 Pour the 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract into your mixer bowl. Then add the 3 large
  eggs one at a time, mixing between each one (*see note). *If the mixture begins
  to curdle, mix in a tablespoon or two of all-purpose flour.
• 4 Gently mix in the 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, just until the dough is combined
  (try not to overmix). Reserve 1 cup of the dough for later and set it aside.
• 5 Spread the dough evenly across the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Then top
  it with the 21 oz cherry pie filling. Drop the reserved 1 cup of dough in
  rounded spoonfuls over the top of the cherry pie filling layer.
• 6 Bake at 350°F (175°C) until golden brown and the topping is no longer soft,
  about 30-35 minutes. Then, transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack to cool
  completely before drizzling the vanilla icing over the top.
• 7 Combine the ½ cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon heavy cream, and ½ teaspoon
  vanilla extract in a small bowl. If needed, add more cream or sugar until you
  reach a good consistency for drizzling.
• 8 After the bars have cooled completely, drizzle the vanilla glaze over them. You
  may cut and serve right away, or allow the glaze to set before serving.

Nutrition Info