Cherry pie bars

Cherry Pie Bars are a fun twist on traditional cherry pie—easy to make, portable, and perfectly sweet and tart. Here’s a simple recipe:

Ingredients (for about 9–12 bars)

For the crust and topping:

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (50g) rolled oats
• ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
• ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1 can (21 oz / 600g) cherry pie filling (or fresh/frozen cherries with ¼ cup sugar and 1 tbsp cornstarch)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan with parchment paper.
2. Make the crust:
   • In a bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
   • Stir in melted butter until crumbly.
   • Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the base.
3. Add the filling:
   • Spread the cherry pie filling evenly over the crust.
4. Add topping:
   • Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the cherries.
5. Bake:
   • Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the cherry filling is bubbly.
6. Cool and slice:
   • Let the bars cool completely before cutting into squares.

💡 Tips:

• For extra flavor, add 1 tsp almond extract to the cherry filling.
• You can also drizzle melted white chocolate over the cooled bars for a dessert-y touch.

If you want, I can also give a no-bake cherry pie bars version that’s just as delicious and much quicker. Do you want me to do that?