Cherry Pie Bars

Preheat the oven to 350℉ and fully line a 9 x 13 glass or ceramic dish with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix together until fully combined.
1 ½ cups flour, 2 cups old fashioned oats, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
Use a fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture, just like you would when making biscuits, until the mixture is crumbly. Set to the side.
14 tablespoons butter - softened

My sister-in-law always reminds me to mix the crust just like biscuits. Don't overmix it or, as she says, it'll get "tuff."

Place the canned cherry pie filling, almond extract and vanilla extract in a medium sized pot over medium-high heat. Mix cornstarch and water together well with a fork in a small bowl, then add to the cherry pie filling. Bring the filling to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow it to thicken for 1-2 minutes, then let cool.
21 ounces cherry pie filling - canned, ½ teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons water

Press half of the mixture crust into the pan, making sure to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
Pour the cherry mixture over the crust. Crumble the rest of the oat mixture with your hands and sprinkle it over the top of the bars.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the bars are set in the middle and lightly golden brown on top. Allow the bars to cool completely.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the powdered sugar and milk together with a whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the bars after they are cool, then slice and enjoy!
3/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons milk

Old-fashioned oats can also be sometimes called rolled oats, they are the same thing.

Quick oats can work but won’t have the same chewy texture.

Steel cut oats won’t soften enough, so I don’t recommend using them in this recipe.

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