These are amazing! Fresh cherry filling between two thin layers of flaky pie pastry and glazed with vanilla flavoured cream cheese icing. Those of you who don’t care for pie dough will like these bars. Potentially you could use canned cherry pie filling straight out of the can and just dot it with 2 Tbsp of butter when fresh cherries are not available. This will freeze well and could last well too, but I don’t think they will.
CHERRY PIE SQUARES
Pastry:2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Crisco shortening, icy cold
1/4 cup butter, icy cold
1/2 cup milk
Cherry Filling:
3 cups fresh cherries, pits removed
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 cup water
2 Tbsp butter
Icing:
4 Tbsp cream cheese
1-1/4 cups icing sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
• Prepare and measure out the cherries, then set them aside.
• Place the flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Cut the shortening and the butter into the flour mixture until crumbs form.
• Do not handle the dough much, keep it very cold.
• Add the milk and form the dough into a ball.
• Cut the dough in half and place one half in the fridge.
• Meanwhile lightly flour the board and roll out the remaining dough to fit your pan.
• It will be fairly thin, so gently roll it onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the pan.
• Make a small ridge along the sides.
• Place the baking pan in the freezer and turn the oven to 350F.
• Prepare the cherry filling next.
• Place all ingredients in a stainless steal fry pan.
• Cook on medium heat just so the cornstarch and sugar combines.
• Remove cherry filling from heat and spread evenly on the top of the pastry layer that has been chilling in the freezer.
• On the floured board quickly roll out the remaining pastry [that was put in the fridge].
• Once again, the dough will be thin, so roll it up on the rolling pin and unroll it over the pan.
• Tuck in the ends and poke the surface with a fork so steam can escape during baking.
• Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the icing. Combine ingredients in a small bowl; beat to combine.
• Remove bar from the oven when pastry is light golden color.
• Glaze the top of the bar as soon as it comes out of the oven.
• Let the glaze set before slicing.
• Yields 12 nice sized squares.
