Easy Tasty Cherry Crumble Bars (Printable)

Buttery, crumbly bars with juicy cherries and golden oat topping—ready in under an hour.

# What You Need:

→ Crust and Crumble Base

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 tsp baking powder
06 - ½ tsp salt
07 - 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
08 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Cherry Filling

09 - 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries, halved
10 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
11 - 2 tbsp cornstarch
12 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
13 - ½ tsp almond extract

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on sides for easy removal later.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
03 - Pour melted butter and vanilla extract over the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until the mixture is evenly moistened and crumbly.
04 - Reserve 1 ½ cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the crust.
05 - In a separate bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract. Toss until the cherries are evenly coated.
06 - Spread the cherry filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture generously over the cherries.
07 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling around the edges.
08 - Let cool completely in the pan. Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out, then cut into squares and serve.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • The crust and topping come from one easy mixture so you save time without sacrificing that tender crumb
  • Frozen cherries work beautifully here making these possible year round not just during cherry season
  • These bars travel well and actually taste better after sitting for a day so they are perfect for bake sales or potlucks
02 -
  • Press the crust firmly and evenly or you will end up with some corners that crumble apart when you try to lift them
  • Let these cool completely before cutting or the cherry filling will ooze everywhere and you will have a messy situation
  • Using room temperature melted butter helps it incorporate evenly but hot melted butter works fine if you are in a rush
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale to measure the flour since too much flour makes the crust tough instead of tender
  • If using fresh cherries taste them first and add another tablespoon of sugar if they seem particularly tart

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