Christmas Cherry Bars
Christmas Cherry Bars are a festive holiday dessert featuring juicy cherry pie filling sandwiched between buttery, crumbly layers – a sweet treat perfect for Christmas baking and gift boxes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (Domino)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (fine sea salt)
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold, cubed (Kerrygold)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 21 ounce cherry pie filling (canned, Hunt's or Del Monte)
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, and salt until well combined.
- Use a food processor or pastry cutter to work the cold butter into the dry mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until the dough just comes together—avoid overmixing.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the crumb mixture, wrap it, and chill for later as the topping.
- Press the remaining dough firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form an even crust.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes until the edges just begin to turn golden.
- Evenly spread the cherry pie filling over the warm crust, smoothing it with the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle the chilled crumb topping over the cherries in an even layer.
- Return the bars to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes until the topping is lightly golden brown.
- Let the bars cool completely (about 1 hour), then dust with powdered sugar and slice into squares.
Notes
For extra festive flair, stir in 1/4 cup chopped pistachios or swap cherry filling for raspberry. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 200kcal
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