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Christmas Cherry Bars

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Christmas Cherry Bars are a festive holiday dessert featuring a buttery sweet dough base topped with vibrant cherry pie filling and finished with a sweet vanilla-almond glaze. Perfect for gatherings and special treats.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1 tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

2-3 tbsp milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts.
  6. Gradually add flour, blending until well combined.
  7. Spread 3 cups of dough evenly in the prepared pan.
  8. Layer with cherry pie filling.
  9. Drop remaining dough in teaspoonfuls over the filling.
  10. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
  11. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
  12. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extracts, and milk to desired glaze consistency.
  13. Drizzle glaze over cooled bars.
  14. Cut into slices and serve.

Notes

  • You can substitute cherry pie filling with peach, strawberry, apple, or blueberry for different flavors.
  • Add lemon or vanilla extract to enhance flavor with other fruit fillings.
  • Sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking for crunch and sparkle.
  • Store bars in airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.
  • Freeze tightly wrapped bars for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in fridge before serving.
  • Reheat slices in microwave 10-15 seconds for warm bars.
  • Use sharp knife sprayed with nonstick spray for clean slicing.
  • Add chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans to dough if desired.
  • Adjust milk in glaze to avoid runniness, start with 2 tbsp.
  • You can prepare bars a day in advance; store covered at room temp or refrigerated.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://recipesbyjanet.com/christmas-cherry-bars/