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An oat-filled crust and sweet-tart jam filling made with fresh cherries make these sour cherry bars a perfect summer dessert! Enjoy them on their own or top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a pie-like treat.

Three sour cherry oat bars stacked on a white plate with a glass of milk in the background.

One of my favorite discoveries in the last year is a local spot known as the “food forest.” 

The food forest is a partnership between the town and the University of Illinois Extension and includes a whole variety of organically grown edible plants that are native to the area. Anyone from the public can go any time to pick/harvest the produce.

HOW COOL, right? Last year I was able to get a whole bunch of fresh blackberries and some apples. And a few weeks ago, Megan and I picked a whole bunch of black currants and sour cherries.

Megan used the black currants to make black currant jelly (yum), and I came home and immediately whipped up these sour cherry bars.

Hand holding up a sour cherry bar to the camera.

Why you’ll love these sour cherry bars

You know how much I love pie recipes, especially fruit pies. But I didn’t have quite enough tart cherries to turn into a cherry pie, so instead I decided to go the handheld dessert route.

These sour cherry bars have an oat-filled crust paired with a jammy sour cherry filling. Some more of the crust mixture gets crumbled on top. They’re sort of a cross between cherry crisp and cherry pie.

They are sweet enough to balance the tart flavor of the cherries, but not too sweet. If you love the tartness of raspberry rhubarb pie or lemon curd, I think you’ll be pleased with the tart-sweet balance of these cherry bars.

You can enjoy them on their own or add a scoop of ice cream on top for an extra indulgent treat!

These cherry bars are pretty much the perfect way to enjoy sour cherry season—but don’t worry, you can also make them with frozen sour cherries if that’s all you have on hand.

Sliced sour cherry bars arranged on a piece of parchment paper.

How to make my sour cherry bars

This recipe includes making your own super simple cherry jam for the filling. It takes a little bit of time (about 30 minutes) to make, but it’s totally worth it.

Plus, the rest of the recipe comes together easily. We love some balance!

Ingredients you’ll need

To make the cherry jam for the filling, you will need:

  • 3 cups pitted sour cherries
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

I love that this recipe doesn’t call for as many cherries as something like a pie or crisp would, so it’s great if you are only able to get your hands on a few cups of fresh sour cherries.

Feel free to use frozen sour cherries, though. You don’t need to thaw them if you’re using frozen cherries; just keep in mind that it’ll take longer for the filling to come to a boil.

Ingredients for sour cherry bars arranged on a countertop.

If your cherries are very sour, you may need to add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of sugar to the filling. I suggest tasting it when it’s close to being done and stirring in any additional sugar then.

A tiny bit of almond extract adds a little “special something” to the filling, just like it does in my peach ice cream. If you really don’t like almond extract, you can always omit it.

The crust for these cherry bars is adapted from the strawberry oatmeal bars over on My Baking Addiction. For the crust, you will need:

  • 7 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

If you only have quick oats on hand, they should work just fine. Do not use instant oats.

You’ll notice there aren’t any eggs in this recipe, so it’s perfect for anyone with an egg allergy to enjoy.

Making this recipe

Start by making the cherry filling. Add the cherries and sugar to a saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.

Once the mixture is boiling, continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook the cherries for about 25 minutes; the filling is ready when the cherries have broken down and are very jammy.

Take the filling off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract. 

From here, you can either use the filling right away or you can let it cool to room temperature, store it in an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

You don’t have to use the jam filling in these bars! You could spread it over toast or biscuits or refrigerator rolls

Dough mixture for cherry bar crust in a metal bowl.

To finish making the bars, add the crust ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until the mixture is well combined and crumbly. 

Take 2/3 of the crust mixture and press it into the bottom of a lined 8×8-inch baking pan. Spread the cherry jam filling over the top, then crumble on the rest of the crust mixture.

Bake the cherry bars at 350°F for 35-40 minutes. Let the bars cool before cutting with a large, sharp knife and enjoying.

Baked sour cherry bars cooling in the baking pan.

Storage tips

Store cherry bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze them in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 2 months.

That is, if you don’t eat them all well before then!

Three cherry bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken from the corner of the top bar.
Stacked sour cherry bars on a white plate.

Sour Cherry Bars

An oat-filled crust and sweet-tart jam filling made with fresh cherries make these sour cherry bars a perfect summer dessert! Enjoy them on their own or top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a pie-like treat.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings9

Ingredients
 
 

For the filling:

For the crust:

Instructions
 

Make the filling:

  • Add the cherries and sugar to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; once boiling, continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cherries have broken down and the mixture is very jammy.
    3 cups pitted sour cherries, ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Allow to cool while you prepare the crust or cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week before using.
    ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Make the bars:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, oats, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture is crumbly.
    7 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Press ⅔ of the crust mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the cherry filling evenly over the crust, then top with the remaining crust mixture. For larger crumbles on the top, press some of the mixture into your hands before adding it to the top of the bars.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack before using the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

If you are using frozen sour cherries, you do not need to thaw them (although you may) before cooking the filling—just keep in mind that it will take longer for the mixture to come to a boil if they are frozen.
If your cherries are very sour, you may want to add an additional tablespoon or two of sugar to the filling. I recommend tasting the filling when it is close to being done and adding more sugar then if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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