Chocolate Chip Cherry Bars — Not sure what to make with cherries? These cherry bars use my favorite blondie base and turn out perfectly every single time! These bars are seriously so good and are a reader favorite!
Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cherry Bars
This cherry dessert recipe has been a reader favorite since July 2012. Here it is again for the newcomers.
Have you been buying your weight in summer fruit every time you go to the grocery store or pass a farmers market? Okay, well I have. Especially cherries.
I love cherries. They are just so perfect. Their sweetness, their hearty flesh, the chewiness. The only thing not perfect about them are their little pits. Pits are a PITA.
I do have a cherry pitter, but I find it just splatters cherry juice everywhere and doesn’t always poke out the pit. More misfires than proper pokes. If the cherry pit is slightly off-center, the gadget just stabs the cherry down the middle, misses the pit, and said cherry juice splatters even more, so I tend to just slice the cherries with a paring knife and am pretty fast with that.
I’m also pretty fast with polishing off a one-pound bag of fresh cherries. But between the watermelon, nectarines, blueberries, grapes, standard issue bananas and apples, and then the cherries, even I was running out room. In both my stomach and crisper drawer.
So I decided to make chocolate chip cherry bars. The beauty of this cherry dessert recipe is that it’s fast, one-bowl, and no mixer is required.
I almost used white chocolate chips but then thought, no, semi-sweet chocolate and cherries just go together. After all, dark chocolate-covered cherries are the confections that overpriced Valentine’s Day candy assortment boxes are made of.
Because of the fruit and the fruit juices released while baking, to say they’re moist and juicy is an understatement.
There’s no granulated sugar in them; just brown sugar. In cookie baking, a higher ratio of brown to white sugar keeps cookies extra soft and moist, and it does the same thing for blondies. It also imparts a caramely-buttery richness that I adore.
The chocolate chips melted everywhere. Can you say hot, juicy, beautiful mess? Cherries and summer fruit never tasted so good.
What’s in These Chocolate Cherry Bars?
For these amazing chocolate chip cherry bars, you’ll need:Â
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Fresh cherries
Seriously, that’s all you need to make this easy cherry dessert!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cherry Bars
- Melt a stick of butter in a big mixing bowl in the microwave.
- Then stir in the brown sugar, an egg, vanilla, and flour.
- Fold in the cherries (and maybe a few raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries) and chocolate chips and you’re ready to bake.
- You’ll know these chocolate cherry bars are ready to come out of the oven when the edges start to pull away from the pan and the center is set. Depending on how gooey you like your blondies, you may want to bake these for a little more or less time than the recipe calls for.Â
- Cool them properly and well before digging in!
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
Most likely, yes! I’ve only made this cherry recipe as written, but you should be fine to double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch pan.
Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Cherries?
Although I have experimented and made these bars with frozen cherries and although they theoretically work, frozen cherries tend to release too much juice into the batter and the resulting bars tend to be extremely soft.
For much more of a guarantee that the bars will work for you and set up without worry, I recommend fresh cherries.
Can I Make These Bars with Dried Cherries?
If you have dried cherries on hand, I recommend making my Cranberry Chocolate Chip Blondies (just use dried cherries instead of cranberries, it’ll definitely work!). It’s pretty much the same recipe, but I know for sure that one works well with dried fruit.Â
Can I Add Other Fruits?
If you want to use a combination of fresh cherries and other stone fruits like plums, nectarines, peaches, apricots, pluots, or similar, they will work just fine.
You can also try berries such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Cherry Bars
These chocolate cherry bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Can the Bars Be Frozen?
Yes! You can freeze these chocolate chip cherry bars for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely on your counter, then slice and store in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
When you’re ready to enjoy them, either reheat them in the oven until the chocolate starts to get gooey, or set them on your counter to thaw.
Tips for Making Cherry Bars
You can doctor these up with white chocolate chips or coconut flakes, or add most any other type of fruit from peaches to blackberries, fresh or frozen. I’ve tried many combos of fresh, frozen, half-and-half, and things always work out with this blondie base.
Note that baking times will vary based on the types of fruit used and the moisture content of the fruit; and how gooey you like your blondies.
A toothpick inserted into the middle may not come out clean due to the chocolate chips or juicy fruit. So use your best judgement when taking these babies out of the oven!
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Chocolate Chip Cherry Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional
- ¾ to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup cherries, fresh or frozen*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 60 seconds.
- To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and stir to combine.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and stir to combine. Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over mix or the blondies will be tough.
- Fold in chocolate chips, fruit (I don’t halve the cherries: I like them chunky and big), and pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or offset knife if necessary.
- Bake for 27 to 32 minutes, or until edges begin to slightly pull away from sides of pan and center is set.**
- Allow bars to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cherry Desserts:
You can find all of my CHERRY RECIPES HERE. Some of my favorite cherry desserts are below.
Cherry Cream Pie — An old-fashioned pie with homemade scratch crust topped with NO-BAKE layers of sweetened cream cheese along with juicy cherry pie filling!! If you like cherry pie, you’re going to LOVE this amped up version!!
Soft Cherry Bread with Cherry-Almond Glaze — An EASY quick bread recipe that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, Easter, or Mother’s Day! Because you can never have too much pink!
Mini Cherry Oreo Cheesecakes – EASY mini cheesecakes loaded with cherries and an Oreo cookie crust!
Triple Chocolate Cherry Cake — This cake is loaded with juicy cherries and topped with an easy homemade chocolate frosting. I used a few shortcuts in this recipe to save time, but this cake tastes completely homemade!
Glazed Cherry Pie Bars — The bars are like cherry pie, but easier. There’s a buttery, soft, tender crust topped with cherry pie filling before being baked and glazed.
Glazed Cherry Bonbon Cookies — Soft, buttery, pink cookies with the surprise of a juicy, sweet maraschino cherry in the middle that also helps keep the cookies moist.
Cherry & Cream Cheese Turnovers — The turnovers are so good that people will think you bought them from a local bakery, but they’re so easy, ready in 20 minutes, and you’ll never need to settle for storebought turnovers again.
Originally published on July 24, 2012 and republished on June 19, 2020 with updated text.
Thanks for this recipe, I followed the recipe with fresh cherries  and it turned out great!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it turned out great!
I made the recipe exactly as written but the batter sure didn’t look like your pictures, it was runnier and didn’t look like a blondie batter at all.  I ended up baking it for an additional 10 minutes (5 and 5) before I felt it could reasonably hold together.  Let it cool for about 1 1/2 to  2 hours before cutting and it was still kind of gummy.  Not necessarily under cooked, it just seemed too soft. Â
Are you sure the recipe shouldn’t have 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour?
Tastes great though.
Yes I am sure of the measurements however if you batter is for some reason really loose (it really shouldn’t be going into the oven) but if it is, you can add a bit more flour. However cherries, being a fruit, they will release natural juices. It’s impossible to predict how much. If you have really ripe cherries on your hands, they will release more juice than not as ripe ones, so you could preemptively add an addition 1/4-ish cup flour. More than that and it will really effect the texture, and also turn these into a THICKER bar, making it even more difficult for them to bake through.
Hi, Can I substitute with almond flour? Will try it today or tomorrow. Thank you
Not sure, I have only made it as written.
These were LUSH! The best recipe! If i wanted to take out the cherries and just add random chopped chocolate would that work?
These were LUSH! The best recipe! If i wanted to take out the cherries and just add random chopped chocolate would that work?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they were great! Yes you can just add plain chocolate, chopped candy bars like Snickers or Milky Way, white choc, butterscotch chips, M&Ms, etc. all fine.
We make these every spring when our cherry trees fruit! They are absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Thank you Averie!!
We make these every spring when our cherry trees fruit! They are absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Thank you Averie!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you make them every year! I am so impressed that you have your own cherry trees!
Oh my gosh!! These are so yummy! Quick and easy, followed recipe to the T with just using dark chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet (cause hubby likes dark chocolate). When hubby and I took our first bite, we looked at each other (with our mouths full) and said “oh, these are so good”! Make them!! You won’t be disappointed.
Oh my gosh!! These are so yummy! Quick and easy, followed recipe to the T with just using dark chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet (cause hubby likes dark chocolate). When hubby and I took our first bite, we looked at each other (with our mouths full) and said “oh, these are so good”! Make them!! You won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you both had the mouths full stare at each other look, I know exactly what you mean! Glad they are a winner for you!
Can this recipe be doubled !!! I’m in love with all of your recipes !!!
Yes it can be doubled and thanks!
This was the best dessert I’ve ever baked! I had to write and tell you as soon as I tasted it! I baked it as written with fresh cherries   (my cherry pitter worked great!) and chocolate chips. It’s worthy of being served in the best of restaurants to rave reviews! Thanks for a truly great (and easy) recipe.Â
This was the best dessert I’ve ever baked! I had to write and tell you as soon as I tasted it! I baked it as written with fresh cherries   (my cherry pitter worked great!) and chocolate chips. It’s worthy of being served in the best of restaurants to rave reviews! Thanks for a truly great (and easy) recipe.Â
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s the best dessert you’ve ever baked!
These taste delicious but after waiting overnight, they still seem way too soft and are falling apart too much to cut. I baked for about 40 minutes since I used frozen cherries but followed everything else in the recipe precisely. Should the cherries still be gooey and soft or more hard and baked in? Would throwing this back in the oven help? Thanks!
These chocolate chip cherry blondies are amazing! Our whole family thinks they’re one of the most delicious things we’ve eaten. I’m a sucker for chocolate cherry anything, but my husband was not and he was won over! I made them with dark brown sugar and dark chocolate chips because this is what I had on-hand, and with fresh cherries. A new family favorite and SO quick and easy!
These chocolate chip cherry blondies are amazing! Our whole family thinks they’re one of the most delicious things we’ve eaten. I’m a sucker for chocolate cherry anything, but my husband was not and he was won over! I made them with dark brown sugar and dark chocolate chips because this is what I had on-hand, and with fresh cherries. A new family favorite and SO quick and easy!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad these are a huge hit with your family! Good job for using what you had on hand with the ingredients, too.
The first word out of my 15 year old’s mouth after the first bites was……”WOW !”
My husband went crazy for them. Caught him eating it right out of the pan with a knife happy as a kid ! I will absolutely make them OVER AND OVER again. I think next time I will try a raspberry / chocolate chip version.
THANKS SO MUCH AVERIE for this incredible recipe. I for sure now am going to save your website and try other recipes from it.