If Black Forest Cake could turn into bar form, I think this would be it! These chewy bars have brown sugar, butter and oats in the base and the same mixture turns into the crumble topping. In the center is a layer of juicy, jammy roasted cherries with melty dark chocolate chips. The flavours are AMAZING and the bars are great as a snack or dessert and there are oats in there, so they’re acceptable for breakfast too!
As I’ve been doing a lot of recently, this is an updated version of a much older blog post. The recipe is based on The Whole Bite, (the site seems to have undergone changes and the recipe is no longer available there) and I loved the idea of baking the cherries first, giving them time to breakdown and become extra awesome and release all that wonderful flavour. When combined with chocolate, the Black Forest vibes are strong! The brown sugar-butter combination in the base creates a magical caramel flavour and really, there’s nothing not to love here.
The crumble topping is extra golden-brown and crunchy and while the higher proportion of rolled oats does mean the bars are a little fragile while slicing, you can chill them before this step if you prefer. Whatever you do, don’t forget to reserve a little of the base mixture to make this topping, the little toasty, buttery bits are everything!
The bars are not hard but not super soft either. They have a chewiness from the oats and some structure from the flour which is important to hold all those cherries in place. Even straight from the fridge, the texture is great and in fact I preferred them cold as much as I’m the biggest fan of melty chocolate!
Bake these while fresh cherries are still around and I hope you love them as much as I do!
Cherry Chocolate Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 600 gms fresh cherries, halved, stems and stones removed
- 1 to 2 tbsps caster sugar, depending on sweetness of cherries
- 170 gms butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (100 gms)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats (200 gms; see notes)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (85 gms) or chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C. On a baking tray lined with foil or baking paper, arrange the pitted and halved cherries in a single layer and sprinkle the caster sugar evenly all over them.
- Bake the cherries for 10 minutes, until soft and some juices have begun to seep out. Set aside to cool.
- While the cherries are roasting, make the base. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl, and whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in the oats, then sift in the flour and baking soda (plus salt, if using). Use a spatula to bring the mixture together. It will be like a soft cookie dough. If it seems excessively wet, add a tablespoon more of flour.
- Line an 8-inch square baking tin with non-stick baking paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
- Set aside 1/2 cup of the oat mixture to make the crumble topping later. Press the remaining into the prepared baking tin, making sure it's even and spread right up to the corner. Use a spatula or the base of a measuring cup to help flatten it well.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 175 C and bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned on the sides and slightly puffed. Remove from the oven and cool the base for 10 minutes. Keep the oven on.
- Spread the roasted cherries evenly all over the cooled base. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over them. Finally, top with the reserved oat mixture from step 5, crumbling it with your fingertips all over the cherries.
- Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the topping is golden-brown. Set aside to cool completely in the tin itself. Use the paper overhang to lift it out, then slice with a sharp knife into 16 pieces. Because of the large quantity of oats, the bars are a little fragile when freshly baked and a bit crumbly. If you're having trouble cutting them or taking them out of the pan, chill them for 30 minutes first.
- I prefer to store these bars in the fridge once they've cooled completely, where they will keep for 5 to 6 days. You can let them soften a bit at room temperature or dig in when they're cold which I loved! Happy baking 🙂
Notes
I really loved the recipe. I will definitely try this one at home as my husband really likes to eat desserts all the time. And, this recipe looks so delicious and healthy as well. I hope, I can make it to the mark. Will try and share my views after tasting it.
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