Cherry Almond Pie Bars are bursting with intense cherry flavor and paired with a toasted almond, buttery crisp crumble that shows off these sweet and tart berries to perfection!
I LOVE the flavor combination in these decadent bars. The easy, homemade pie filling is ooey, gooey, sticky cherry deliciousness that comes together in minutes for amazing results and a toasted almond, golden-buttery crumble does double duty as both the crust and crumble.
Homemade Cherry Pie Filling simply exudes cherry flavor. It’s so easy and delicious and so much better then store bought, you will literally never want to buy premade again!
Know what I don’t care for? That mouth-scrunching, tin flavored tang that comes with pie filling out of a can. Do you know what I’m talking about? I used to think I didn’t like cherry pie filling, and that was the reason.
Here is what I learned to do to fix that….Make it from scratch!
Homemade Cherry Almond Pie Bars are quick and easy:
- Simmer frozen sweet cherries with a few other ingredients for 5 minutes.
- Toast almond slices or slivers.
- Mix butter, almonds, and other crust/crumble ingredients together and pat into a pan.
- Top with the pie filling and sprinkle with remaining crumble.
- Bake to golden, bubbly cherry glory!
How to make Cherry Almond Pie Bars
Begin by making the Homemade Cherry Pie Filling. This is the same pie filling that I use in my favorite Cherry Pie.
Combine frozen sweet cherries, almond extract, vanilla, lemon juice, and corn starch together in a sauce pan, bring it to a simmer, and then cook for 5 minutes.
Next make the toasted almond, buttery crisp-crumble that I use in my Fresh Blueberry Almond Pie.
After toasting the almonds on a baking sheet for 10 minutes, cut them into butter, flour, sugar, nutmeg, almond extract, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or two sturdy forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pat all of the crumb mixture EXCEPT 1 CUP into 9×12 cake pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Pour the cherry pie filling over the top and then dot with spoonfuls of the remaining 1 cup of crumble and additional toasted almonds. Bake until the cherry pie filling is bubbly and the crumble browns.
Can I use fresh cherries?
Yes. Fresh cherries also work great in this filling with no recipe modifications.
Can I make the bars in advance?
The Cherry Pie Filling can be made 2-3 days in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to bake the bars. The crisp/crumble has the best texture the day of baking, although it is still very good the following day as well.
Love Pie? Me Too! Check out a few of my favorites:
- Fresh Peach Pie With Crumb Topping
- Toasted Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie
- Fresh Blueberry Almond Crumb Pie
- Fresh Peach Pie With Homemade Crust
- The Best Cherry Pie Recipe with Homemade Filling
If you’ve tried these Cherry Almond Pie Bars or any other recipe on this website, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it came out in the comments below. I’d LOVE to hear from you!
Share a photo of your creation on my Facebook page, Instagram or save it to Pinterest and tag #SAVORWITHJENNIFER. I can’t wait to see your work!
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Cherry Almond Pie Bars
Ingredients
Almond Crust and Crumble
- 1.5 cups sliced (or slivered) almonds, toasted – DIVIDED
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup butter, shilled and cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh grated or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake almonds on a foil lined baking sheet for 7-10 minutes, stirring every two minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Make the Cherry Pie Filling as directed and set aside.
- Increase the temperature of the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place ONE CUP of the slightly cooled almonds into a large ziplok bag. Use a smooth sided meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound the almonds into smaller pieces. Do not pound to the point of almond flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the almonds and the remainder of the crust ingredients. Use a pastry cutter, sturdy forks, or two knives to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Set aside ONE CUP of the crumble mixture and press the REMAINING crumble mixture into the bottom of a 9×12 greased cake pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Pour the cherry pie filling on top of the crust.
- Dot the pie filling with spoonfuls of the reserved one cup crumble mixture and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted almonds.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pie filling is bubbly and the crumble on top is golden.
- Cool at least 15 minutes or more before cutting or serving. The filling thickens as it cools. Serve warm or room temperature.
Mother, Gardener, Book Devourer, and Food Obsessor. I love being inspired with fresh, seasonal ingredients and relish every opportunity to elevate my home cooking. Join me!
Ellie
One of my favorite desserts. I made it for my dad who loves cherry pie and now he asks me to make it all the time.
Jennifer Grissom
That melts my heart! Happy to hear this.