Almond Cherry Bars
Hello friends! Today I bring to you a super easy recipe and video! These Almond Cherry Bars are super chewy, soft, topped with a delicious almond glaze! You will make these over and over!
This cherry bars recipe is one of my oldest recipes on the blog, and today I am updating it with new pictures, a new video, and fixing the baking time below on the instructions.
I had the baking time set to 20-30 minutes, and that was clearly wrong, since these bars take about 45 minutes to bake, and can take up to 1 hour, depending on the size pan you use, and on your oven.
This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a commission from qualified purchases. Please read our Privacy policy here.
You can use a 9×9″ or 8×8″ pan to bake these bars. With the 9×9″, the bars will be just slightly shorter, and a bit thicker with the 8×8″.
These Almond Cherry Bars are perfect to pack for a picnic, or for a lunchbox.
And they will hold up pretty well for a few days stored in the fridge, but make sure to take them out and let them sit at room temperature for a while before serving. So that the butter in the dough has a chance to soften up.
I have also experimented to make these bars with part whole wheat flour, as a reader had suggested on the reviews below.
By the way, do read the reviews below and on Pinterest! They are awesome! These cherry bars are a crowd pleaser!
So when I made the bars with part whole wheat flour, they still came out pretty delicious, just a bit chewier, which is totally yum!
They also came out a bit dark as you can see on the pic below, the bars right below were made with 50% whole wheat flour, so 1 cup of all-purpose, and 1 cup of whole-wheat.
For the delicious glaze on top of these Almond Cherry Bars, I used an almond glaze. Simply sifted powdered sugar, mixed with almond milk (you can use regular), and almond extract.
If your glaze is too thin and runny, add more sifted powdered sugar to make it thicker.
Now if the glaze is too thick, add a bit more milk. And by a bit more milk, I actually mean a few drops. In glazes like these, a little liquid goes a long way, so be mindful!
Make sure to watch the video on this page and on Youtube, showing you how to make these delicious Almond Cherry Bars!
If you love soft and chewy bars, this is the dessert for you!
If you liked this recipe, here are some more recipes you may enjoy:
- Brookies
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Biscoff Brownies
- Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Dulce de Leche Bars
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment below, it helps my blog and also the other readers! And also tag me on instagram or share a picture on Pinterest! Nothing makes me happier than seeing you guys making my recipes that I put out with so much love! Thanks for reading!
Almond Cherry Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (9 oz, 255 grams)
- 1/2 cup almond flour (1.69 oz, 48 grams)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (5.29 oz, 150 grams)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature (6 oz, 170 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 lemon (or lime) zested and juiced
- 3 cups pitted cherries
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar sifted (2.65 oz, 75 grams)
- 1 tbsp almond milk or just regular milk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
- Start by mixing the flour, almond flour, sugar, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, and lemon zest in a bowl.
- Add the butter and mix with a spatula until the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients. You can also use your hands to make this easier. There shouldn't be any chunks of butter in the dough, it should be totally incorporated with the dry ingredients.
- Add the egg, almond extract, and lemon juice.
- Fold to combine all the ingredients, until a soft dough has formed. It will be sticky, like a cookie dough.
- In a bowl, mix the pitted cherries, with 3 tbsp of granulated sugar, and 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Set aside.
- Line the bottom of a 9×9" or 8×8" pan with parchment paper.
- Spread half of the dough on the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the cherries over dough and spread evenly.
- Spread out the other half of the dough on top of cherries. Just drop equal amounts evenly distributed over the cherries. You can use a cookie scoop to do this, as I show on the video.
- Then use your hands to help spread out the dough and flatten it. If the dough is too sticky you may flour your hands lightly.
- Bake the bars for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Let the bars cool down before slicing.
Glaze
- Mix the sifted powdered sugar with the milk and almond extract. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin, or adding more milk, if the glaze is too thick. Remember that a little goes a long way when it comes to adding liquids to glazes like this one.
- Drizzle the almond glaze on top of the bars. Sprinkle some more sliced almonds on top.
Storage
- Store the bars in the fridge for up to 5 days, covered. Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften up before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Wondering if anyone has tried freezing these bars (sorry if I missed any comments about this). If so, would you recommend freezing with or without the glaze? Just not sure how the glaze would hold up after defrosting.
I am hoping to make these for an event ahead of time. Planning to bake in a disposable pan and slice later after defrosting, so putting the glaze on later would not be an issue if that would work better.
Also, for anyone with dietary restrictions, I have made these bars gluten free and vegan with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour, Bob’s Red Milk Egg Replacer, and Becel Plant Butter. They were divine and could be enjoyed by those without dietary restrictions (in my opinion).
I also used frozen cherries. I just defrosted under cold water and after adding the cornstarch and sugar, let the cherries sit for a bit for the extra liquid to come out. When adding the cherries to the bottom layer, I used a slotted spoon to remove the extra liquid. Seemed to work fine for me.
Just a preference (because my husband loves cherry and almond desserts), I omitted the lemon juice and zest, and replaced the lemon juice with equal parts plant-based milk (in case anyone is interested in trying the recipe but is not a fan of lemon).
Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Kylee, thank you so much for sharing all of these helpful substitutions and tips! I’m glad the gluten-free and vegan version turned out so well.
These bars should freeze nicely. I would recommend freezing them without the glaze, tightly wrapped once completely cooled, then thawing them overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature. Once thawed, you can slice and add the glaze before serving. The glaze may still freeze reasonably well, but applying it afterward will give you the freshest appearance and texture. Your disposable-pan plan should work perfectly!
Thanks for your response Camila! 🩷