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Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars

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Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars – Cherry and blueberry pie filling are loaded into a soft, cakey bar that is finished with a gorgeous white glaze.

Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars filled with blueberries and cherries

The next holiday is upon us, folks – 4th of July is almost a week away! I am, of course, ready to bring you a patriotic treat to serve all your guests during your 4th of July activities.

Last year, I shared this refreshing (and simple!) Red, White, and Blue Sangria that you all went CRAZY for. Now, I have another Red, White, and Blue treat that I hope you’ll love just as much, but this time, it’s all about the sweets.

Pie bars are something new that I came across on Pinterest. You guys may remember that I hate making pie because it’s so annoying to cut beautiful pie slices. Plus, I feel like pies don’t serve as many people as I think they should. But pie bars solve all of that!

And so, I was inspired to make these Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars, filled with blueberry and cherry and covered with vanilla icing. Check them out!

Red, White, and Blue Pie Bar on a wooden spatula Three Red, White, and Blue Pie BarsTray of Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars

These pie bars taste just like a slice of blueberry and cherry pie. The crust is a little more cakey and fluffy than pie crust, with a hint of almond extract that adds a whole other level of flavor.

The cakey crust is thanks to a dough instead of using a pastry crust, which makes this recipe a 1000x easier. Pie crust requires so much chilling and rolling and attention, whereas this dough is simply mixed together and dumped into the pan. We use some of that dough to then dollop onto the pie filling for a cobblestone look.

Now, when it comes to the filling, I cut out loads of time by using store-bought pie filling. I am not a huge fan of all the added food coloring and corn syrup in most pie-filings, but I was able to find one that was natural so that took away some of the guilt I was feeling about not making this myself. But I am learning that there is no shame in shortcuts so guilt be gone!

Cookie sheet of Red, White, and Blue Pie Bar dough Cherry and blueberry pie filling on top of the dough, with bits of dough scattered across the cookie sheet

While making these bars, I learned a lot so here are some tips you HAVE to read to make sure these bars come out perfect for you:

  1. I first made these bars using a 15x10x1 baking sheet, as was recommended in other recipes. However, I found that this pan size was wayyyy too small and even caused the bars to overflow in the oven. So I recommend using a 1/2 sheet pan instead, which is slightly bigger at 16.5×11.38×1.
  2. Wait until the bars are completely cool before icing them. Otherwise, the icing will get too thin and melt everywhere.
  3. Also, when slicing the bars, I think they are much easier to slice when cooled or chilled. Fruit filling gets super messy when it’s warm so it’s gonna require some patience before you can serve them. But you can easily make these the night before you need them and just slice the next day.

Feeling patriotic yet??? I hope so! What other treats do you have planned for the 4th of July celebrations! I am hoping to host some people for our last hosting gig before baby comes so let me know what ideas you have in the comments below!

Closeup of a Red, White, and Blue Pie Bar on a wooden spatula

Print Recipe

Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars

Cherry and blueberry pie filling are loaded into a soft, cakey bar that is finished with a gorgeous white glaze.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 18 bars

Ingredients

For the bars:
  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 21-ounce can blueberry pie filing
  • 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filing
For the icing:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 1/2 sheet pan (interior measures about 16.5x11.38 x1 inches) by spraying with nonstick spray. Warning - if you don't have a pan this size, you're better going a little bigger than going a little smaller to prevent overflow. Or you can use a 9x13 baking dish but the bars will be much thicker and take longer to bake.
  • In bowl fitted for a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy - about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Add extract and mix together. Add flour 1 cup at a time, just until dough is combined.
  • Measure out 3 cups of dough and spread onto greased baking sheet. Spoon pie filings on top of dough, making sure to alternate spoonfuls of cherry and blueberry so they are mixed throughout the bars. Spread to edges of the dough and smooth out the top.
  • Drop remaining dough by the spoonfuls over the pie filing. You want to create a speckled look so no need to smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely before icing.
  • Mix icing ingredients together and drizzle over cooled bars. Cut bars and serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator for maximum of 2 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Pin for later:

Red, White, and Blue Pie Bars photo collage

More recipes you’ll love:

Glazed Cherry Pie Bars

Glazed cherry hand pie cut in half

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

Two glasses of Red, White, and Blue Sangria

Traditional English Trifle

Traditional English Trifle with layers of fruit and pudding

Comments

  1. Saima says

    Wow! Your pie bars look so delicious! I l love cherries and blueberries and I’m sure these berries impart a tartness to the bars which would kick up the overall taste several notches. And I agree with you about taking short cuts wherever possible. As long as you don’t compromise with the quality of the ingredients (your pie filling).

    Reply

  4. Lorie says

    I’m not a huge pie crust fan so the fact that this crust is more cake like is exactly for me. This will be at our 4th of July spread. Thanks for the amazing recipe!

    Reply

  7. Jennifer says

    Pie bars are the perfect treat for a summer 4th of July gathering because they’re self-serving and everyone can just grab and go! I also like that you mentioned finding a better pie filling, I love when I find healthier swaps with better ingredients.

    Reply

  10. Jenni says

    Oh, pie bars are so perfect! Less work, but all the flavor! AND you are so right, they do feed more people! This red, white and blue version is perfect for the holidays!

    Reply

  12. Karina says

    Yum! These looks so delish! I love making pies, but I do agree that they are so difficult to get good slices of. Would love to test out this recipe with my kids… they love baking!

    Reply

  14. Vicky says

    Perfect for the 4th of July, but I would make these any time of year. These would be especially great when fresh berries are in season.

    Reply

  18. Tara says

    Okay this is looking AMAZING!! Seriously I want to eat the whole pan myself right now. Great 4th of July treat, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep making it all year!

    Reply

    • Sharon says

      Yesss! Once you try them, they will be hard to resist and you’ll be making them all year long! You can even change up the pie filling for different occasions!

      Reply

  23. Kate says

    Wow! Its only 9am here so Im wondering if I could justify these as breakfast…LOL! These look absolutely delish and nothing says 4th of July or Americana to me better than cherry(and blueberry!) pie. Cant wait to test these out!

    Reply

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