Cherry Pie Crumble Bars

Everything is better with a cherry on top… or in the middle… or on the bottom…  A single cherry is beautiful on its own when used as a garnish, but when a bunch of them get together, they create a symphony of flavor! 

Cherry Pie Crumble Bars are the perfect summertime dessert. 

What’s not to love about a crumbly, buttery crust, layered with sweet cherry filling, and topped with more crumbles? Serve these bars by themselves or a la mode (a big scoop of vanilla ice cream).

Writer’s note: I’ve never been much of a kitchen gadgetry gal. To me, more tools mean more to wash and store, when oftentimes a good set of knives will do the trick. 

With that said, after pitting the first five cups of cherries with a paring knife, I started thinking about a better way. I broke down and purchased a handheld cherry pitter which I found saved quite a bit of time. 

Now if I can just figure out how to use it without squirting cherry juice all over my kitchen!

Cherry Pie Crumble Bars

For the Cherries

5 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Crumble

1 package yellow cake mix

2 1/2 cups quick-cooking whole grain oats

3/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375 F. Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

Pit and halve cherries. In a large bowl, combine cherries and lemon juice.

In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, extracts and cornstarch. Pour mixture over cherry mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and oats. Add melted butter and stir until crumbly.

Press down 2/3 of the crumbs on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Spoon cherry mixture evenly over crust.

Sprinkle remaining crumbs over cherry layer and press them down gently.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

(Recipe by Jennifer Ruple)