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Chocolate Cookie Cherry Bars

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Yummy chocolate cookie cherry bars are an alternative dessert idea that's perfect for a large crowd.

A delicious cookie base is topped with cherry pie filling and chocolate chips. The base creates a cookie consistency that's the perfect alternative to cake. What's not to love?

A slice of chocolate cookie cherry bar on a white plate with a fork. Another slice is blurred in the background.

Cookie Crumble Bars

I love this recipe because of the chocolate cookie base. It reminds me of the ice cream cakes that I used to eat at birthday parties as a child. It's delicious. Part of it is reserved and mixed with the chocolate chips on top.

  • It creates this delicious deconstructed cookie mixed with cherry pie filling. So yummy.
  • This is the perfect alternative to cake when you want to feed a large crowd.
  • Serve at birthday parties, picnics, potlucks or barbecues. It's easy to slice into small squares and feed lots of people.
  • This dessert is very easy to prepare and can be baked in the oven quickly and fast.
  • This recipe is versatile and can easily be adapted. Use jam instead of cherry filling and top with chopped nuts instead of chocolate chips!
Ingredients to make the recipe on the counter including bowl of flour, brown sugar, cherry pie filling, white chocolate chips, sticks of butter, cocoa powder and vanilla.

Recipe Ingredients

COOKIE BASE: The cookie base is definitely the star of the show here. Made using flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, egg, vanilla, and butter. The secret is to use very cold butter that's crumbled into the base, not melted. This will create the perfect crumbly pie-crust texture.

CHERRY FILLING: All you need is a can of cherry pie filling. It's spread onto the cookie crumb base. If you really love cherries, then feel free to add another can of cherry filling as there's definitely room for it.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS: A small portion of the cookie base is mixed together with dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips to create that beautiful topping.

VARIATIONS: Cherry pie filling can be substituted with any flavor of pie filling, jam, or strawberry sauce. Add a bit of crunch to the topping with chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, or pumpkin seeds. If you don't like white chocolate chips, you can just use regular chocolate chips instead.

Four images of steps to make recipe. First is bowl with dry ingredients dumped in and unmixed. Second is chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and cookie crumb in white bowl. Third is cherry pie filling poured into casserole dish. Fourth is chocolate chips mixed with cookie crumb on top of pie filling in casserole dish.

How To Make Chocolate Cookie Cherry Bars

  1. Mix main dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Add chopped cold butter to the dry mixture according to the full recipe instructions below.
  3. Stir in beaten egg and vanilla. Slowly add milk until the batter is wet enough to come together.
  4. Reserve 1 cup, then press the cookie base into the prepared casserole dish. Top with cherry pie filling.
  5. Mix reserved crumb base with chocolate chips. Sprinkle on top of the dessert.
  6. Bake 30 mins, then let cool completely before chilling in the fridge for 2 hours.
  7. Slice into small squares, serve and enjoy!
Close up of recipe in grey casserole dish including white chocolate chips, regular chocolate chips, and hints of red from cherry pie filling. Slices are cut out with a grey spatula in dish.

Recipe Tips

  • Use cold butter! It cannot be room temperature. Chop the butter into small pieces, then use a pastry cutter, fork or just your fingertips to break it apart into even smaller pieces. This is the key to perfect consistency. Crumbly butter in the dry flour mixture will create the perfect cookie crumb base.
  • Grease the baking dish really well. Use nonstick cooking spray to make sure the entire pan is coated. This will make it much easier to remove after chilling in the fridge.
  • Use a flimsy rubber spatula to help release the bottom of the dessert from the pan. These are my absolute favorite kitchen tools for a variety of purposes. The key is that they must be bendable and not the stiff versions.
  • If you love cherry pie filling, you could add more! I felt like this recipe could've used 1 ½ cans and plan to try it that way next time I make it.
  • If you don't like cherry pie filling, you can replace it with jam, jelly or homemade strawberry sauce. Other pie filling flavors would also work (apple, rhubarb, strawberry, raspberry, cranberry or blueberry).
Close up of square of cookie bar with cherry filling on a plate.

More Desserts

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Chocolate Cookie Cherry Bars

A delicious cookie base is topped with cherry pie filling and a crumble with chocolate chips.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar - packed
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup unsalted butter - cold
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 19 oz cherry pie filling - 1 can
  • 6-7 Tbsp milk
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
    Grey baking dish with nonstick cooking spray beside it.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and cocoa.
    Two images of a white bowl: first with cocoa, brown sugar and flour inside. Second with dry ingredients mixed together and a spatula.
  • Cut the cold butter into small pieces with a knife.
    Two sticks of butter on a white plate. Second image is chopped butter with a knife on plate.
  • Add the chopped butter to the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers to mix in the butter and break apart until it's crumbly and pea-size in shape.
    Two images of a white bowl: first with dry ingredients and chopped butter on top. Second with butter crumbled into dry ingredients and a pastry cutter.
  • In a separate bowl mix together 1 egg and vanilla extract.
    Beaten egg with vanilla in a white bowl with a fork.
  • Pour into dry mixture and mix together.
    Two images of a white bowl: Dry ingredients with egg poured in. Second is dry ingredients mixed with a spatula.
  • Slowly add the milk 2-3 Tbsp at a time until the batter is wet enough to stick together.
    Reserve 1 cup of the cookie base for the topping.
    Chocolate cookie crumb base mixture in a white bowl with 1 cup of it beside.
  • Add the cookie base to greased baking dish. Press firmly into the bottom.
    Spread the cherry pie filling on top.
    Two images of a baking dish: first has cookie crumb base pressed in. Second has cherry filling spread on top.
  • Add the reserved 1 cup cookie base and chocolate chips to a bowl. Mix together.
    Two images of a white bowl: first with dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and cookie crumb. Second with ingredients mixed together and spatula.
  • Sprinkle onto the top of the dessert.
    Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely at room temperature.
    Cover and place in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.
    Unsliced baked chocolate cookie cherry bars in a grey baking dish.
  • Once chilled, slice into squares. Use a spatula to remove from the pan, serve and enjoy!
    Sliced chocolate cookie cherry bars in a casserole dish with a knife beside.

Recipe Notes:

  • Use cold butter! It cannot be room temperature. Chop the butter into small pieces, then use a pastry cutter, fork or just your fingertips to break it apart into even smaller pieces. This the key to the perfect consistency. Crumbly butter in the dry flour mixture will create the perfect cookie crumb base.
  • Grease the baking dish really well. Use nonstick cooking spray to make sure the entire pan is coated. This will make it much easier to remove after chilling in the fridge.
  • Use a flimsy rubber spatula to help release the bottom of the dessert from the pan. These are my absolute favorite kitchen tools for a variety of purposes. The key is that they must be bendable and not the stiff versions.
  • If you love cherry pie filling, you could add more! I felt like this recipe could’ve used 1 ½ cups and plan to try it that way next time I make it.
  • If you don’t like cherry pie filling, you can replace it with jam, jelly or homemade strawberry sauce. Any other pie filling flavors would probably also work (apple, rhubarb, strawberry, raspberry, cranberry or blueberry).

Nutrition Info

Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 601IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.

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