Foodie Fridays: Cherry Pie Bars

From Kitty's Kozy Kitchen

In my search for the perfect Independence Day dessert, I found this recipe for Cherry Pie Bars on a cute blog called Kitty's Kozy Kitchen.  The original source is the Taste of Home website.  These cake-like bars are easy to make and taste delicious.  I sprinkled some fresh blueberries (about 2/3 cup) over the top -- the red and white are already there, so the bit of blue added just the right patriotic touch!  I did cut the recipe in half, as I usually do, since the full recipe would make far too many bars for the two of us.  In fact, the original recipe states that the yield is 5 dozen bars, which seems rather astonishing to me.  The blogger mentioned that she cut hers into larger squares, which I did as well, so I have reduced the yield to just 16 bars (still more than enough for my husband and myself!).

Cherry Pie Bars

1/2 C. butter, softened
1 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 C. flour
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 C. confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp. each vanilla and almond extracts
2-3 T. milk

Cream together the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the extracts.  Gradually add the flour.

Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the batter in a greased 9-inch pan. Spread with the pie filling.  Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, mix the confectioner's sugar, extracts, and enough milk to reach the desired consistency for drizzling.  Drizzle over the top of the bars.  Makes 16 bars.

Update: My husband was not a fan of so much glaze, so next time I may reduce the amount and possibly only glaze half of the bars.  To cut the sweetness a bit, drizzle some chocolate syrup over the top of a serving!