Easy Tasty Cherry Crumble Bars (Printer-friendly)

Buttery, crumbly bars layered with juicy cherries and a golden oat topping—perfect for a quick dessert or afternoon treat.

# 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 (optional)

# 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.
03 - Add melted butter and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Stir until crumbly and evenly moistened.
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.
08 - Cool completely in the pan, then lift out using the parchment overhang. Cut into bars and serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The crust and crumble come from one easy bowl, no fancy techniques required
  • Fresh or frozen cherries both work beautifully, so you can make these year round
  • They taste like you spent all day baking but come together in under an hour
02 -
  • Cutting these before they're completely cool will give you a messy situation, so be patient
  • The cherry layer should be bubbling before you pull them out, or the filling won't set properly
  • Using room temperature butter for melting helps it incorporate more evenly into the dry ingredients
03 -
  • Use the back of a measuring cup to press the crust down evenly and firmly
  • If using frozen cherries, don't thaw them first or you'll end up with too much liquid
  • Rotate the pan halfway through baking for the most even golden color

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