Are you a fan of Starbucks Michigan cherry oat bars? If so, you might like to try this cherry pie bars Starbucks copycat recipe. These mouth-watering oatmeal bars with cherry filling are so good served with ice cream or whipped cream. They are perfectly sweet and boast hints of vanilla, cinnamon and almond in every mouthful.
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With their frozen cherries and lemon filling and delectable oat crumble topping, these Starbucks Michigan cherry oat bars are a firm favourite. But you don’t have to drive all the way to Starbucks when you can rustle up this handy Starbucks copycat recipe in your own kitchen.
Ingredients for Cherry Pie Bars
Pantry staples such as flour, sugar, oats, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder feature in these bars. You will also need sugar and an egg. The filling includes frozen cherries, sugar, water, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract.
The sweetness of the cherries, crumbly crunch of the oat crumble topping and hints of lemon and vanilla are perfectly balanced. Although you could adjust the ingredients if you wanted to, using another type of berry or changing the flavours, these bars are perfect as they are. And if you’ve tried the Starbucks Michigan cherry oat bars, you’ll agree these do taste very similar to those you can get in the store.
Sadly Starbucks carries these oatmeal bars with cherry pie filling as a seasonal item only. However, once you know how to make your own you can enjoy one any day of the year!
How to Make Cherry Pie Bars
Add the frozen cherries, white sugar, water, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract to a pan and cook gently. Break up the cherries as they thaw and stir often so nothing sticks to the pan. Once it’s hot and thick, take it off the heat.
Next combine the flour with the brown and white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients (or use a pastry cutter if you have one). You want to achieve a coarse sand type of texture.
Mix in the vanilla and egg and use your hands or the pastry cutter to combine everything. Spoon about two-thirds of the mixture into a greased baking dish, then press it down. Try to get the Starbucks Michigan cherry oat bars in an even layer. Mix the oats with the remaining egg mixture.
Pour the cherry mixture over the top of the pressed down layer in the baking dish. Finally add the oat layer on top of that. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the oat crumble topping is golden brown. All that’s left to do is enjoy the cherry pie bars served with ice cream, whipped cream or just as they are.
Serving Tips
Although this Starbucks copycat recipe is great served with ice cream, the nice thing about them is they are portable. This means they’re fine to take to work as part of a box lunch or to take to a get-together or picnic. Although they’re pretty crumbly on top, they do hold together.
If you’re making these for a special occasion you can even double or triple the recipe, baking them in batches. Once they are cool you can cut them into squares and enjoy them still a little warm from the oven or let them cool completely.
Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars FAQs
Yes. They will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer. If you freeze them let them sit on the countertop for 20 to 30 minutes and they should thaw out perfectly.
The recipe calls for frozen dark cherries but you can use frozen red cherries or even fresh ones as long as you pit them (nobody wants to bite down on a cherry stone!) If you only have sour cherries, those would work too but in that case I recommend you add an extra couple of tablespoons of sugar and only add half as much lemon juice, to make up for it.
Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars Recipe
Just Like Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars
Ingredients
BAR
- 2 ¾ Cups all purpose flour
- 1 Cup unsalted butter cold
- ¾ Cup brown sugar
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- ½ Cup oats
- 1 egg large
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ Teaspoon salt
FILLING
- 24 Ounces cherries frozen, pitted, sweet dark
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- ¼ Cup water
- 3 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ Teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a saucepan combine all of the filling ingredients. Mix well.
- Heat the filling on medium high heat. As the cherries thaw, use a spatula to break them up by pressing them into the bottom or side of the pan. Stir the filling to make sure the bottom does not burn. Once the filling is hot and has nice thick consistency, remove from heat and set aside.
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter.
- In a bowl mix together all of the bar’s dry ingredients, except for the oats.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes, add into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it becomes a sandy shaggy texture.
- Add in the egg and vanilla, continue to mix with your hands or a pastry cutter until it is fully combined.
- Spoon approximately ⅔ of the mixture into the bottom of your greased 9×13 pan.
- Gently press the mixture down into the bottom of the pan to create an even, flat, compressed layer of the bar.
- Add the oats to the bowl with the remaining bar mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the cherry filling over the top of the compressed layer in the 9×13 pan.
- Sprinkle the oat mixture on top of the cherry layer.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for approximately 30 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven when finished cooking. Let bars cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
- These bars can be served warm or room temp. Eat as-is or a-la-mode!
Nutrition
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Although Starbucks Michigan cherry oat bars are a seasonal item, this Starbucks copycat recipe means you can prepare oatmeal bars with cherry filling whenever you want. The cherry-packed bars have a sweet oat crumble topping. Serve the bars as they are for breakfast, brunch or as a snack, or enjoy them a la mode with ice cream or whipped cream for a complete dessert.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
Oh I need to try. I am sad they don’t have these year round.
There’s nothing like Michigan cherries! Lived there for years. And oatmeal is a miracle food for me, so I am making these yummy bars!!! 🙂
I know the right person to pass this on to. Love it.
Oh yes, I’d love these desserts. I’m a huge fan of cherries.
I always love when I can find a recipe that lets me make my favorite restaurant treats at home. This was spot on!
This looks absolutely amazing and perfect for brunch