Eggless Cherry Pie Bars with Fresh Cherry Pie Filling
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.
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