These Cherry Crumble Bars are so easy to make and taste like a pie in a bar! This recipe will definitely become one of your favorites for any occasion. Serve warm with ice cream or cold with coffee. Any way you eat them, they are delicious!
We ended up with 36 pounds of fresh cherries (yes, 3-6) this summer and I couldn't wait to make all things cherry. As I was surfing Instagram I came across some Cherry Pie Crumble Bars from @bluebowlrecipes and knew I had to make something similar. I adapted this recipe to what I had on hand and made a few adjustments. The result was a delicious bar with a cherry almond flavor to die for!!
If you want more cherry recipes, check out my Fresh Cherry Tart, Homemade Luxardo Cherries, and Amarena Cherry recipes!
Ingredients Needed to Make Cherry Crumble Bars
Of course, you will need some fresh cherries that have been cleaned, pitted, and cut in half, about 2½ cups. You will also need some fresh lime juice and butter from the fridge.
From the pantry, you will need quick oats, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg (or ground nutmeg), almond extract, and salt.
I like to use freshly grated nutmeg in my baking. Fresh nutmeg has a much stronger flavor so a little goes a long way but it really adds to the flavor and aroma. If you don't have fresh nutmeg, ground nutmeg will work just fine.
How to Make Cherry Pie Bars
First, make the cherry filling and place it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Next, mix together the crumble ingredients. Take about ⅓ of the crumble and add it to the bottom of your baking dish. Bake the bottom crust for 12 minutes. Once it has cooled for 10 minutes, add the cherry mixture to the dish and then top with the remaining crumble. Press down with your hands to make sure everything is nice and packed in. Bake for an additional 25 minutes and allow the bars to cool in the pan. The bars will be soft and crumbly when warm or at room temp and more firm when chilled. Store extra bars covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Fruit Substitutes for These Oat Crumble Bars
The great thing about this recipe is you can use any fruit you want, not just cherries. It would be delicious with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, etc. The possibilities are endless. These bars will last a few days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Other Delicious Fruit Recipes to Check Out
- Lemon Lavender Tart
- Grapefruit Pound Cake
- Easy Passion Fruit Bars
- Fresh Mango Galette
- Coconut Fig Crumble Bars
Easy Cherry Crumble Bars
Equipment
- 8 x 10 baking dish (or a similar size)
- 2 mixing bowls
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 2½ cups fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon lemon or lime juice
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Crumble
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups quick oats
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (or ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the baking dish with non-stick spray and/or parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients for the cherry filling in a bowl and stir together gently to combine. Place in the refrigerator until ready to build the bars.
- In another bowl place the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine everything. Add the melted butter a little at a time to combine completely with the flour mixture.
- Take ⅓ of the crumble mixture and place it in the bottom of the prepared pan. Evenly spread out along the bottom and gently press with fingers to create an even crust. Bake bottom crust for 12 minutes, remove and cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Once the crust has cooled, take the cherry mixture out of the fridge and evenly distribute it on the baked bottom. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture over the top of the cherries and gently press down to pack in the crumble top.
- Bake again for 25 minutes. The topping will brown slightly, but not too much. Remove from oven and cool in the pan. The bars will be soft when warm and more firm when chilled. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make These Cherry Crumble Bars?
Don't forget to leave a comment below if you make these Cherry Pie Bars. And if you snap a photo, tag me on Instagram or Facebook.
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Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
There really is nothing better than fresh cherries. So sweet and juicy! This is a deliciously wonderful way to use them up. I love the simplicity of it!
Emily says
I totally agree!! Thank you 😊
Gabriela says
Im so glad there if finally cherries in stores. This will be the first thing I will make. So delicious.
Emily says
Hooray to cherry season!!
Gina says
I love anything with cherries. This looks so good.
Emily says
Cherries are always a winner in my book too!😁
Julia says
I adore cherries and can't wait until they're back in season. Then I'm going to try these.. A perfect sweet treat to take on a picniic.
Emily says
Yay for cherries! 🙌🏻🍒
Sue says
I love a good dessert and these cherry crumble bars did not disappoint! Thank you for a terrific recipe!
Emily says
Thanks, Sue, I'm so glad you liked them!
Nora says
Those cherry crumble bars look amazing! And they seem to be pretty straight forward to make too! Thanks for sharing!
Emily says
They are ridiculously easy to make!