Here’s a festive, chewy, and slightly tart Christmas Cherry Bars recipe—perfect for holiday baking, gift-giving, or a sweet treat with coffee or cocoa.
🍒 Christmas Cherry Bars
Makes: ~24 bars
Time: 1 hour (including baking)
Ingredients
For the Crust & Crumble
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
For the Cherry Filling
- 1 can (21 oz / 595 g) cherry pie filling or 1½ cups frozen tart cherries, thawed and drained
- 1–2 tsp cornstarch (if using fresh/frozen cherries)
- 2–3 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste if using fresh cherries)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven
- 350°F (175°C)
- Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (leave overhang for easy removal).
2. Make the crust
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet until crumbly.
- Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan evenly.
3. Prepare cherry filling (if needed)
- For canned pie filling: ready to use.
- For fresh/frozen cherries: toss with sugar + cornstarch; simmer 3–5 min until slightly thickened.
4. Assemble
- Spread cherry filling evenly over the pressed crust.
- Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top.
5. Bake
- 35–40 minutes or until top is lightly golden.
- Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting.
6. Optional Festive Touch
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
- Add a drizzle of white chocolate or sprinkle extra chopped nuts on top.
⭐ Tips
- Chill the dough slightly if it’s too soft to press evenly.
- Tart cherries balance the sweetness—don’t skip them!
- Cut into bars after completely cool; warm bars may crumble.
If you want, I can also provide:
🎄 A gluten-free version
🎄 A white chocolate-cherry variation
🎄 Mini bite-sized Christmas cherry bars
Do you want me to give one of those variations?
