These oatmeal cherry bars are packed with fresh cherry flavor and a crumbly buttery oatmeal base and topping. Use frozen cherries to save money and eat them year round.
How will these oatmeal cherry bars make your life easier?
This is such a fresh, delicious, and easy summer dessert. Use frozen cherries to save money and keep your super fresh local cherries for eating plain. If you need to use up other frozen berries, you can use whatever you have instead of the cherries. These cherry oatmeal bars are great as is, or served with ice cream or yogurt for a delicious dessert, snack, or even fun summer breakfast.
Not in the mood for these cherry bars? How about this single serving Skillet Peach Crisp, Peach Cobbler, or Oreo Blueberry Ice Cream?
What makes them so good?
- Frozen cherries
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Whole wheat flour
- Old fashioned oats
- Dark brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Butter
How do I make them?
Add all cherry filling ingredients to small sauce pot (2.5 c pitted frozen cherries, 3 T water, 1/4 c white sugar, 1 T cornstarch, 1 T lemon juice, pinch of salt). Cook, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. This should take between 5-8 minuets. Break up cherries with a spoon or your rubber scraper if you desire smaller chunks of cherries. Place in refrigerator to cool.
Expert Tip: Use fresh pitted cherries if you have them. Add an additional tablespoon of water (or maybe more) if it gets too thick while cooking.
Expert Tip: Start with 1 T lemon juice. Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of lemon juice depending on how sweet your cherries are. If the filling is just a bit too tart, it’s perfect. The buttery, sweet crust cuts some of the tartness of the filling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While cherry filling is cooling, prepare oatmeal mixture. This will be used for the base and for the topping. Add 3/4 c whole wheat flour, 1 c old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 c dark brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to large mixing bowl. Mix together. Add 1/2 cup chopped cold butter. Cut into flower/oat mixture with two knives or with a pastry cutter until butter is pea sized. (watch video to learn how to cut butter into flour mixture.
Expert Tip: Swap whole wheat flour for all purpose flour if that’s what you have. You can also use light or regular brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar. The dark brown sugar has more molasses in it than the others, and the flavor is great. But use what you have/can find.
Expert Tip: Use cold butter to get a slightly flaky crust.
Prepare bars by placing parchment paper in an 8x8 metal baking pan, then add 1/2 of the flour/oatmeal mixture into baking pan. Press down with a measuring cup or your clean hands to form a pressed crust with an even thickness. Pour cooled cherry mixture over base, spread over crust. Sprinkle remaining flour/oatmeal mixture to make crumbly topping. Do not press down topping.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cherry filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Remove and cool before serving. Eat as is or serve with vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Refrigerate leftovers for 3-5 days.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh pitted cherries if you have them. Add an additional tablespoon of water (or maybe more) if it gets too thick while cooking.
- Start with 1 T lemon juice. Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of lemon juice depending on how sweet your cherries are. If the filling is just a bit too tart, it’s perfect. The buttery, sweet crust cuts some of the tartness of the filling.
- Swap whole wheat flour for all purpose flour if that’s what you have. You can also use light or regular brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar. The dark brown sugar has more molasses in it than the others, and the flavor is great. But use what you have/can find.
- Use cold butter to get a slightly flaky crust.
FAQ
What can I do with lots of cherries?
Make oatmeal bars like this easy cherry oatmeal bar recipe. You can also add them to other fruit recipes like this Summer Berry Salad, Skillet Peach Crumble, Peach Cobbler, or Blueberry Oreo Ice Cream.
What fillings can I put in oatmeal bars?
The oatmeal bar base and topping are great with lots of different fillings. Instead of cherries, you can use peaches, strawberries, strawberries & rhubarb, raspberries, or blackberries. You may need to adjust how much water and lemon juice you add it though.
What can I make with leftover ingredients?
- (frozen cherries) add them to this Overnight Oatmeal recipe
- (lemon juice) use some in this Pan Seared Salmon with Summer Salad or Pan Seared Pork Chops
Did you make these oatmeal cherry bars? Leave me a comment & rating to share how they turned out!
Oatmeal Cherry Bars
Equipment
- Small sauce pot
- Rubber scraper
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Two knives or pastry cutter
- 8x8 pan
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 2.5 cups frozen cherries
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1-3 tablespoons lemon juice about the juice of 1/2 lemon
- pinch salt
Oatmeal Base & Topping
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter cut into chunks
Instructions
- Add all cherry filling ingredients to small sauce pot (2.5 c frozen cherries, 3 T water, 1/4 c white sugar, 1 T corn starch, 1 T lemon juice, pinch of salt). Cook, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. This should take between 5-8 minuets. Break up cherries with a spoon or your rubber scraper if you desire smaller chunks of cherries. Add 1-2 T more lemon juice depending on how sweet the filling is. Place in refrigerator to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While cherry filling is cooling, prepare oatmeal mixture. This will be used for the base and for the topping. Add 3/4 c whole wheat flour, 1 c old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 c dark brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt to large mixing bowl. Mix together. Add 1/2 cup chopped cold butter. Cut into flower/oat mixture with two knives or with a pastry cutter until butter is pea sized. (watch video to learn how to cut butter into flour mixture.
- Prepare bars by placing parchment paper in an 8x8 metal baking pan, then add 1/2 of the flour/oatmeal mixture into baking pan. Press down with a measuring cup or your clean hands to form a pressed crust with an even thickness. Pour cooled cherry mixture over base, spread over crust. Sprinkle remaining flour/oatmeal mixture to make crumbly topping. Do not press down topping. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cherry filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Remove and cool before serving. Eat as is or serve with vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Refrigerate leftovers for 3-5 days.
Video
Notes
- Use fresh pitted cherries if you have them. Add an additional tablespoon of water (or maybe more) if it gets too thick while cooking.
- Start with 1 T lemon juice. Add 1-2 additional tablespoons of lemon juice depending on how sweet your cherries are. If the filling is just a bit too tart, it’s perfect. The buttery, sweet crust cuts some of the tartness of the filling.
- Swap whole wheat flour for all purpose flour if that’s what you have. You can also use light or regular brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar. The dark brown sugar has more molasses in it than the others, and the flavor is great. But use what you have/can find.
- Use cold butter to get a slightly flaky crust.
Want to get more single serving recipes delivered to your inbox? Click here to download my Single Serving Cookbook.
Lizet Bowen says
I was looking for a dessert for this weekend, and I just found it!! we love cherries. Can’t wait to try it!
Rebecca says
yay! enjoy
Jacque Hastert says
I love how you can use fresh or frozen cherries in this dessert! Since it has oatmeal listed as an ingredient, that means they are acceptable for breakfast, right?
Rebecca says
always!
Tawnie Kroll says
I am all about cherries right now and these were so good! They didn’t last 2 days in my house! YUM
Rebecca says
ya they don’t last long at all! thanks!
Marlynn says
These bars are the most delicious way to enjoy the season’s ripest cherries! No leftovers – they were gobbled up!
Rebecca says
ya they don’t last long
Anita says
This looks so good I bet it will be perfect for breakfast. I’m going to try with some frozen blueberries since that’s what I have in my freezer right now. ๐
Rebecca says
great idea! that’d be so good