Easy Tasty Cherry Crumble Bars (Printable version)
Buttery oat bars with sweet cherry filling and golden crumble topping. An easy handheld dessert perfect for sharing.
# What You’ll Need:
→ For the Crust and Crumble
01 - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
03 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
04 - ½ cup packed light brown sugar
05 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
06 - ½ teaspoon salt
07 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ For the Cherry Filling
09 - 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries, halved
10 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
11 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
12 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
13 - ½ teaspoon almond extract
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
03 - Add melted butter and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Stir until crumbly and evenly moistened throughout.
04 - Reserve 1 ½ cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the crust.
05 - In another bowl, toss cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract until evenly coated.
06 - Spread the cherry mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the cherries.
07 - Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
08 - Cool completely in the pan, then lift out using the parchment overhang. Cut into 12 bars and serve.
# Expert tips:
01 -
- The buttery oat crust doubles as the crumble topping so you make one mixture and get two layers of texture
- Frozen cherries work beautifully here making this a year round treat you can whip up anytime
02 -
- Pressing the crust firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup helps create an even layer that won't crumble apart when you cut the bars
- The bars continue to set as they cool so if they seem slightly jiggly right out of the oven that's completely normal
03 -
- If using frozen cherries don't thaw them first—toss them frozen and add about 5 minutes to the baking time
- Room temperature butter melts into the dry ingredients more evenly than cold melted butter so let it sit out before melting