Recently a friend had asked for a cherry treat for her birthday. However, this treat needed to be portable and easy to serve. Therefore, I decided to alter my Apple Pie Bars recipe and use cherries instead. With only a few minor changes to the apple recipe, I created a yummy treat. It was also so easy to make since I used cherry pie filling with a minor adjustment of almond extract.
I cut the bars into 18 squares and placed them in cupcake liners (jumbo size) to make them easy to serve. They looked like a bought them at a local bakery. So good and perfect for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 sticks butter, cubed (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 cans cherry pie filling (21 oz each)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 3 or 4 tbsp milk
Directions
Put the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor fitted with the blade. (photo A) Pulse once to mix the ingredients. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles small crumbs.(Photo B) This can be done with a pastry blender instead of the food processor.
Photo A
Photo B
Reserve 1 cup of crumbs for the topping. Add the almonds to the crumbs and set aside. (Photo C) Line a 9 x 13 in dish with heavy duty foil. Spray with cooking spray. Dump the crumbs into a foil lined pan and pat down with your fingers. Use a flat bottom measuring cup to even out the crumbs. (Photo D) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. (Photo E)
Photo C
Photo D
Photo E
Pour the cherry pie filling in a bowl and add the almond extract. Gently mix into the cherries. Pour the mixture over the hot crust and spread out evenly. (Photo F) Spread the reserved topping over the cherries. (Photo G) Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
Photo F
Photo G
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 1 hour. Remove from the pan with the foil.
Peel back the foil from the sides. Mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract and milk. Add more milk as needed for the desired consistency. Drizzle on pie and cut into 18 bars. (Photo H)
Photo H