Easy Tasty Cherry Crumble Bars (Printable)

Buttery oat crumble layers with sweet cherry filling for a simple handheld dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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 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, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
03 - Add melted butter and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Stir until evenly moistened and crumbly.
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 a separate 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 over the cherries.
07 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
08 - Cool completely in the pan. Lift out using the parchment overhang, cut into bars, and serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The contrast between the crunchy oat topping and the jammy, bubbling cherries is absolutely magical
  • They come together faster than you can preheat the oven, but taste like you spent all afternoon
  • The bars travel perfectly and actually improve after sitting for a day
02 -
  • Pressing the crust down firmly is non-negotiable, or it will crumble apart when you try to cut the bars
  • The cornstarch needs to be fully incorporated into the cherries or you'll end up with white pockets
  • These must cool completely before cutting, or you'll have a delicious but messy cherry situation
03 -
  • Use room temperature butter for melting, it incorporates more evenly into the dry ingredients
  • If using frozen cherries, don't thaw them, but add those 5 extra minutes to the baking time
  • The parchment overhang is your friend, don't skip it or removal becomes a challenge

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