Cherry Pie Bars with Fresh Cherry Pie Filling | Eggless and Easy

These eggless homemade cherry pie bars are made with a delicious, chewy and gooey fresh cherry pie filling alongside a buttery shortbread base and crispy topping. They are so easy and quick to prepare and make for the perfect cherry dessert to enjoy this season.

AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
BAKING TIME: 55 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hours 25 minutes

*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.

What do these buttery & gooey cherry pie bars taste like?

These eggless cherry pie bars made with fresh cherries are juicy and fragrant with rich fruity, vanilla, and cinnamon flavours. Since they are prepared with less sugar, the natural flavours of the cherries shine through.
The bars also have a refreshing taste because of the splash of lemon juice, which helps cut the sweetness and enhance the cherries’ natural flavours.
The bars are rich, soft, and jammy, with a lovely bite coming from the cherry filling, shortbread base, and topping.

Why you'll love these cherry pie bars

Ease

To prepare this recipe all you have to do is stir all the ingredients for the cherry filling in a bowl and let the juices release. You do not need to cook the filling on the stove. The shortbread and topping are prepared at the same time by just blending the ingredients till all the ingredients are combined. This recipe is also perfect when you wish to enjoy a homemade cherry pie on the go but do not want to go through the hassle of carrying or storing a pie

Time

As the filling, base and topping are made so simply, as mentioned above, it will just take 30 to 45 minutes for you to follow the instructions to make this irresistible dessert.

Flavour

Because this recipe is made with less sugar, the fruity and tart flavours make this a true cherry dessert. To complement and help boost the flavours of the cherries, I used a hint of vanilla, cinnamon and lemon juice which also gave a touch of a refreshing, creamy and rich flavour to the cherry pie bars.

Texture

These juicy and fragrant bars have just the right balance of soft, chewy and jammy texture. I prepared the filling in such a way that you can enjoy the natural bite of the cherries with a gooey explosion with each bite.

Less sweet

I love creating recipes with less sugar so I can enjoy the natural flavours of the fruit and spices. And these bars are no exception. They are made with just enough of sugar to provide moisture without coming in the way of the beautiful flavours of these sweet and tart cherries.

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What are these cherry pie bars made of?

Shortbread base and topping

As I wished to make a dessert that tasted exactly like a homemade cherry pie coupled with ease, I prepared a shortbread base instead of a pie crust.

The shortbread base and topping are made with lots of butter thus resembling the flavour of a traditional pie crust and it is very easy to prepare which reduces the preparation time tremendously.

Cherry pie filling

There are two ways in which a traditional pie filling is prepared.

The first where the filling ingredients are cooked over the stove before baking and the second, where the ingredients are just mixed and baked immediately.

The latter makes the filling jammy but you can enjoy the natural texture and flavour of the fruit a lot more. For this reason, this cherry pie filling ingredients are just stirred together and baked immediately.

Key ingredients in these cherry pie filling

All-purpose flour, cornstarch, and icing sugar

These cherry pie bars are made with all-purpose flour to give structure and cornstarch to make it crisp after baking. This shortbread recipe uses icing sugar instead of castor sugar to provide a balance of structure and moisture to the bars.

Unsalted butter

This recipe is made using unsalted butter to make the cookies soft with a rich flavour. I highly recommend using good-quality European butter as it has a higher fat content which gives better flavour and creaminess to the bars.

Pure Vanilla Extract and Ground Cinnamon

Use good quality pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste instead of vanilla essence for this recipe. Always use good-quality ground cinnamon for this recipe. But before using the ground cinnamon, smell it and taste it to ensure that its fresh and the flavours are good as the flavours reduce overtime.

Dark brown sugar and castor sugar

I made these bars using a blend of dark brown sugar and castor sugar to make them gooey, moist and give them a depth of flavour. Use dark brown sugar for this recipe as it gives a stronger caramel and creamy flavour to the bars instead of light brown sugar.

Fresh Cherries

Always use fresh cherries whose flavours you absolutely enjoy for this recipe and make sure to taste them before using. To know which cherries are the best for this recipe, read the section given below.

Lemon juice

The lemon juice used in the filling makes it jammy, balances the sweetness and brightens up the flavour of the bars.

How to pick the best cherries for this recipe?

The best part about this recipe is that you can use any local variety of cherries whose flavours you love.

While recipe testing, I used dark sweet cherries that were very juicy and quite sweet. But while photographing the recipe, I used sour cherries that weren’t too sweet but had a creamy texture.

You can cherries you prefer or use a blend of your favourite tart and sweet cherries to make it your own. This recipe works well with any cherry variety that you wish to use.

Before purchasing or using the cherries, make sure they:

Are ripe.
Have a vibrant colour
Not soft and mushy
Not bruised
Smell and taste good

04 baking tips to make the best cherry pie bars

Blend the shortbread ingredients instead of creaming it

Because of the high quantity of butter used in this recipe, as mentioned before, it is important to just blend the ingredients instead of creaming them. If not, the base will have no structure and will remain soft even after baking.

Shortbread is quite easy to prepare, but if you over-work or over-mix your ingredients, the butter (specific to this recipe) starts releasing water. The trick to make dessert with high quantities of ingredients that provide moisture and tenderness to the dessert requires less time to be spent while preparing it.

For this reason, instead of creaming the ingredients, mix or blend the ingredients till they are just combined.

Mash the cherries before baking

As this filling is made with less cornstarch than other recipes to control the amount of water it releases; I like mashing the cherries just a bit to encourage it to soften faster.

Soften the butter instead of bringing it to room temperature

You may have heard that you should always bring your butter to room temperature for baking.

But that term is highly misleading because the temperature changes from place to place, so bringing it to room temperature is not the right way to go.

When the butter is anywhere between 18°C to 21°C, it is the right time to prepare the dough. But that does not mean you have to check the butter using a thermometer every time you bake.

Here is an experiment that you should conduct to know when your butter has softened and is ready to be used for making a dessert:

Place a stick or block of butter in its packaging on your kitchen counter away from the sun.
Now every 10-15 minutes, check the butter.
When it reaches 18°C, press the butter with your finger.

You will find that the butter will resist your finger, and you will have to put a bit of pressure to make a dent. The butter will also be a little cool to the touch and not make your finger greasy. This is when your butter has softened and is ready to be used for baking.

Observe and check how the butter looks and feels at this point.
Next, check the texture of the butter once it reaches 21°C (follow steps 1 through 4).

While doing this experiment, note down the time the butter took to reach the right temperature. So now every time you bake, you know how much time your butter needs to soften.

Let the bars chill before slicing them for an even slice

One thing about shortbread and fruit fillings is that they become firm when they are given time to cool completely. This requires a lot of patience but in the end, it is absolutely worth it.

Once the cherry pie bars have cooled down completely, I let them chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes and then slice and serve them.

This will ensure that the bars remain intact and not crumble, giving you the perfect slice

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use sweet cherries instead of sour cherries?

Yes! You can use any cherries that you love. You can also use a mix of cherries that you enjoy.

Why did my bars remain soft?

This happens when either the bars weren’t baked enough, the dough was overmixed or too much moisture was released from the cherries while baking. To avoid this, avoid overmixing the dough and bake the bars till the topping is golden brown. Once the bars have cooled completely, transfer them to the refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Can I use frozen cherries for this recipe?

No! I highly recommend using fresh cherries for this recipe. Frozen cherries release a lot more water and as this filling is not precooked, the frozen cherries will make the bars soggy and soft.

Do cherry pie bars need to be refrigerated?

Yes, but only if the room temperature is warm or hot as they will go bad if left outside in the heat. If you do refrigerate them, you can thaw the bars for a minimum of 15 minutes before serving. They taste just as wonderful even if they are refrigerated.

Can I make a small-batch recipe?

Yes! I have included a small-batch recipe that is made in a 5-inch square cake pan in the recipe card given down below.

Can you freeze cherry pie bars?

I highly recommend not freezing cherry pie bars as they use fresh fruit and fresh fruit go bad easily. Its best to freshly prepare this bars for the best quality and flavour.

Step-by-step instructions

Eggless Cherry Pie Bars with Fresh Cherry Pie Filling

Khushali Patel

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Baking Time 55

Total Time 1 25

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 mini bars

Equipment

01 Weighing Scale
01 Stand mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer
01 Chopping board and knife
01 Sifter
Mixing Bowls
Spatulas
Spoons

Ingredients

Cinnamon Shortbread & Crumb

110 grams All-purpose flour
06 grams Corn-starch or corn flour*
02 grams Ground Cinnamon
80 grams Unsalted Butter, softened* chopped
02-03 grams Pure Vanilla Extract
40 grams Icing Sugar sifted

Sour Cherry Pie Filling

312 grams Cleaned & Pitted fresh sweet or sour cherries
18 grams Light or Dark Brown Sugar
36 grams Castor Sugar or Superfine Sugar
06 grams Corn-starch or corn flour*
06 grams Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Instructions

Preparation

For the shortbread -
Line a 7-inch or 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Weigh the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Stir with a spoon and then sift well. Set aside.
Weigh and add the ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients.
Weigh the icing sugar in a bowl. Sift well.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, weigh the butter & vanilla extract.
For the cherry filling -
Weigh the pitted cherries (chop them into half), brown sugar, castor sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a bowl.

Method

For the cherry filling -
Mix all the ingredients well.
Set aside for the juices to release.
Making the cherry shortbread bars -
Blend the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or handheld mixer, until softened on medium speed.
Mix in the icing sugar on low speed for 10 seconds and then increase to medium speed till just combined. Avoid overmixing or creaming.
Mix in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and ground cinnamon and salt mixer until combined till just combined and it forms small nuggets.
Weigh 75g (40g for the small-batch recipe) of the shortbread into a smaller bowl. This will be for the topping.
Before transferring the dough for the base into the pan, using your hands bring the dough together till a soft ball forms. Avoid overworking the dough.
Transfer the shortbread dough to the lined square pan and firmly press the dough till smooth and even. You can use a spoon or offset spatula to do this.
Using the back of a spoon mash the cherries till they are soft. This helps to extract the juice easily.
Spread the filling on the shortbread dough evenly.
Sprinkle on the topping.
Bake for a minimum of 55 minutes or till the top has lightly browned. If you want them to be nice and crisp let them bake for 60 minutes or till browned.
Let the bars cool in the pan for 30 minutes or till warm and then transfer onto a cooling rack till completely cool. They will be a little soft and jammy.
For clean edges, cool the bars for 15 minutes and then cut with a sharp knife.
Enjoy!

Notes

Unsalted butter - As mentioned in the tips section, experiment and observe how long the butter comes to the right temperature and texture. Depending on the time it takes, weigh out the recipe or bring out the butter mid-way through prep.
Corn starch or cornflour - If you prefer making shortbread without cornstarch, replace it with an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
Storage instructions – These bars are best stored at room temperature, in a cool area and away from direct sunlight. The bars stay fresh for a week when the temperature is cool. For longer storage, store them in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Freezing Instructions – As these bars consists of fruits, I highly recommend making them fresh each time and avoid freezing.
Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here

Small-batch recipe (5 inch square cake pan)-

Cherry Pie Bars Ingredients	Cherry Pie Bars Ingredients Quantities
Cinnamon Shortbread & Crumb
All-purpose flour	55
Cornstarch or corn flour*	3
Unsalted Butter*	40
Icing Sugar	20
Vanilla	1
Cinnamon	1

Cherry Pie Filling
Cleaned & Pitted fresh sweet or sour cherries	156
Brown Sugar	9
Castor Sugar	18
Cornstarch	3
Lemon Juice	3

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