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Cherry Bars

These Cherry Bars are a sweet, fruity dessert that combines a buttery cake-like base with a luscious cherry filling, all topped with a delicate glaze. Simple to make and incredibly delicious, these bars are perfect for a summer treat, a picnic, or a quick dessert to impress guests.
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Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • For the Bars:
  • 1 box 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the Glaze:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 9x13-inch baking dish
  • Mixing bowls
  • Hand mixer or whisk
  • Spoon or spatula

Method
 

  1. Preheat Oven:
  2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  3. Prepare the Batter:
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, eggs, and softened butter. Use a hand mixer or whisk to blend everything together until smooth and creamy. The batter will be thick.
  5. Assemble the Cherry Bars:
  6. Spread about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared baking dish, pressing it into an even layer. The batter will be sticky, so you can lightly grease your hands to help spread it.
  7. Add the Cherry Filling:
  8. Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the batter layer, spreading it out gently to cover the surface.
  9. Top with Remaining Batter:
  10. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter over the cherry filling, then gently spread it out with a spatula to cover the cherries as much as possible. It doesn’t need to be perfect – some cherry filling can peek through!
  11. Bake the Bars:
  12. Bake the cherry bars in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  13. Prepare the Glaze:
  14. While the bars are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth.
  15. Finish the Bars:
  16. Once the bars have cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the top of the bars. Let the glaze set before cutting into squares.
  17. Serve and Enjoy:
  18. Slice into squares and serve! These cherry bars are perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or as a sweet treat on their own.

Notes

Use Fresh Cherries: For a fresh twist, you can make your own cherry filling by cooking down fresh or frozen cherries with sugar and cornstarch.