Apparently our local Starbucks has a new pastry in stock these days. I don’t know if it’s legit new or just “new to us” new, but it is called the Michigan Cherry Oat Bar… and it happens to be Mr. Eats’ new favorite thing these days. So, of course, he requested that I make a from-scratch version. When I told him that would be difficult to do having never tasted the sweet treat, one appeared at our home within days.
He was right, this thing was pretty good. Buttery, chewy, crumbly, and of course, cherry-y. That’s a thing, right?
There was on thing I couldn’t quite place my finger on… what is coconut? No… that wasn’t it. So, I took a quick peek at the ingredients and then had a “duh!” moment. Cornflakes! Of course! I did a little bit of research and ended up landing on this recipe from Serious Eats, which I thought would work well as a base for these bars.
While my bars aren’t an exact match – they have significantly less ingredients, and you can pronounce all of them – they are pretty darn close. I may make them again, next time including the eggs and maybe I will even be able to locate some Michigan cherries – though I might have to call home for some of those. But these bars were too good not to share and get even better after a day on the counter, giving the flavors a chance to mingle.
I recommend using cherry preserves here (something with whole cherries or large chunks) if you can find it, but if you can’t it’s no big deal. If you’re not into cherries, feel free to substitute whichever fruit preserve you fancy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Cornflake cereal, crushed
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 10 ounce jar cherry preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line a 9 by 9 inch pan with foil. Grease with butter or baking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the cornflakes, flour, oats, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in the butter until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
- Press about half of the mixture into the baking pan. Top with cherry preserves, then with remaining oat mixture. Press on top of the oat mixture to smooth.
- Bake until the top is golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes.
- Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.
- Cut into squares and serve.
- Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If desired, bars can be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave prior to serving.
[ Recipe source: Serious Eats ]
Sounds gooooood. I love snack bars like this. 🙂
They really are great – I love that you can eat it for breakfast or for dessert! 🙂
Starbucks is so addicting! I’m sure your Cherry Oat Bars are much better than the Starbucks inspiration. The only “problem” is keeping enough on hand to keep the Mr. happy!
Too true! We were supposed to freeze half for future use… but they didn’t last long enough!
i’m simultaneously happy and mad reading this: sad because NO CHERRY OAT BARS AT THE STARBUCKS HERE (yet), but happy because now i can just make them myself! Too late, starbucks: you no get my money.
It’s always better to make them yourself, anyway. Aside from being healthier, they are definitely cheaper than whatever Starbucks charges for sure.