Oatmeal Cherry Bars

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. This easy, small recipe is perfect if you're cooking for one or two. Check out this list of the best small batch desserts too!

How will these bars make your life easier?

These oatmeal cherry bars are 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, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, or Oreo Blueberry Ice Cream?

What makes them so good?

How do I make them?

The first step to make these oatmeal cherry bars is to make the cherry filling. Start by adding all cherry filling ingredients to small sauce pot (2.5 c pitted frozen cherries, 3 T water, ¼ 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 rubber scraper if you'd like smaller chunks of cherries. Transfer to 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 ¾ c whole wheat flour, 1 c old fashioned rolled oats, ½ c dark brown sugar, ½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp salt to large mixing bowl. Mix together. Add ½ 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 oatmeal cherry bars by placing parchment paper in an 8x8 metal baking pan, then add ½ 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 oatmeal cherry bars 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 in these oatmeal cherry bars 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. Personally, I recommend making these oatmeal cherry bars made with whole wheat flour and dark brown sugar, but use what you have on hand-they'll still be great!
• Use cold butter to get a slightly flaky crust.

FAQ

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!

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