Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Set butter out to soften.
2. To make cherry filling, mix the cherries, granulated sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Put in a covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F and spray a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray. You can then line the bottom of the dish with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the bars.
4. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and mix to combine.
5. Add softened butter and use a pastry blender or your hands to work the mixture into crumbs.
6. Add 2/3 of the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and press down firmly. Top with cooled cherry filling. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top of the cherries. Place in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until just golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into bars. Enjoy!

Helpful hints

You can make the filling ahead and refrigerate up to 2 days before making bars.

Bars are delicious both at room temperature or chilled in the fridge.

This recipe is not recommended for people with diabetes due to the high carbohydrate content. However, it can be made with low-calorie sweeteners to decrease carbohydrate to 25 grams.