Copycat Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars – A slice of cherry pie heaven without a fork or any mess. Can it get better than this? No it can’t.

These Copycat Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars made me a cherry lover that I have become.

stack of square Cherry Oat Bars separated with parchment squares

While I pretty much love every treat at Starbucks, I never tried their Michigan Cherry Oat Bars well because I was never too keen on cherries.

Then my son Cannon wanted one and I thought this was the perfect chance for me to try the one and only item I have not tried at Starbucks. So we ordered it, and I convinced him that I needed to try it first, to make sure I knew he would like it or not.

Cherry Oat Bars on parchment on counter

Then came that “moment”, a moment that many of us can relate to. To lie or not to lie. To lie and tell my son it was horrible and he would hate it, only to then inhale it myself, probably in one or two bites because it is that dang good. Or the truth and tell him it is good and hope that he shares it with me.

I waffled, then took one more little nibble, he glared, I stared and then he said, “mom you’re tricking me”. He could read my mind, so I handed it over and that was it. He took one bite and exclaimed yum! A few moments later, he handed me the last bite and I declined to tell him I wanted him to have it, so he did.

Simple, sweet moments like these I will always cherish. So, of course, I had to come up with a copycat cherry oat bar recipe. The result? I am happy to report they are even better than the orginal.

Ingredients

  • Flour
  • Quick oats
  • Rolled oats
  • Brown sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Room temperature butter
  • Fresh cherries with stems removed and seeded
  • Sugar
  • Cornstarch
  • Lemon juice

How do you make Cherry Oat Bars?

Prepare Cherry Filling by adding cherries to a small saucepan, stir in sugar, lemon juice, and corn starch.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, once it starts to boil cook for 10 minutes.It should have started to thicken, if not cook for a few more minutes.

Once thickened remove from heat and let it sit at room temp until cool. Pour into a bowl and cover, refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray 9×9 inch square pan then line with parchment paper.

Oat Bars in a container lined with parchment

Add all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together using your hands.

Add butter, using a pastry blender or your hands work the mixture into crumbs/pea-sized pieces.It will become a soft and crumbly mixture.

Add 2/3 of the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and firmly pat down.Then top with cooled cherry filling.

Add evenly the remaining crumb mixture on top of the cherries.

Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Let bars completely cool. Cut bars into 9-12 serving and serve. Store at room temperature or, my favorite, in the fridge.

one cherry oatmeal bar.

These Copycat Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars not only taste better than the original, but you can eat the whole pan of 12 bars and no one would ever know. Enjoy! XOXO San

More Oat Bars

Looking for some other oat bar ideas? Check out some of my favorites: 

Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

Copycat Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 313 kcal
Copycat Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars – A slice of cherry pie heaven without a fork or any mess. Can it get better than this? No it can’t.

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ¼ cups flour
  • 1 ½ cups quick oats
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup room temperature butter
  • 1 cup cherry filling see below

Cherry Filling

  • 2 cups fresh cherries stems removed and seeded
  • 1/3 cups sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Juice from one lemon

Instructions
 

  • Prepare Cherry Filling by adding cherries to a small saucepan, stir in sugar, lemon juice, and corn starch. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, once it starts to boil cook for 10 minutes. It should have started to thicken, if not cook for a few more minutes. Once thickened remove from heat and let it sit at room temp until cool. Pour into a bowl and cover, refrigerate until ready to use.
  • *I typically will make this a day or two before and set in the fridge until I am ready to make the bars.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° and spray 9×9 inch square pan then line with parchment paper.
  • Add all of the dry bar ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together using your hands.
  • Add butter, using a pastry blender or your hands work the mixture into crumbs/pea-sized pieces. It will become a soft and crumbly mixture.
  • Add 2/3 of the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and firmly pat down. Then top with cooled cherry filling. Add evenly the remaining crumb mixture on top of the cherries. Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a light golden brown.
  • Let bars completely cool. Cut bars into 9-12 serving and serve.
  • Store at room temperature or my favorite in the fridge.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Blueberry Oat Bars from Food Librarian
Serving: 1barCalories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 205mgPotassium: 179mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 370IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

ORIGINAL RECIPE IMAGE POSTED ON JULY 15, 2015.

Cherry Oat Bars on parchment

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87 Comments

  1. I’m confused. Do you add 1 can of cherry pie filling to crumb mixture and then top with homemade cherries?

    1. You don’t use any can filling just the cherry mixture you make nothing goes on top except the remaining crumb mixture

    2. Not sure if this was edited or not..but the recipe says Add 2/3 of the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and firmly pat down. Then top with cooled cherry filling. Add evenly the remaining crumb mixture on top of the cherries.

      You’re not using a can of cherry filling..you’re using 1 cup of the cherry filling..and then she gives you the recipe. I wouldnt use canned cherry filling at all..even out of season, way too sweet and ‘gummy’ if anything i’d use frozen cherry’s in place of fresh and then follow San’s recipe.

      San…thank you thank you thank f or posting this..i live for these bars..my wallet does not..really neither does my waistline. They were ‘temporarily out’ at all the starbucks near me a few weeks ago..and i thought the world had ended!

      1. Thank you for the clarification on the cherry filling and for making the suggestion of using frozen cherries.

        Very helpful!!!

  2. Just to verify… I made the blueberry bars last month as a test since I couldn’t get fresh cherries (until yesterday). The filling was not as thick as it should have been so, in comparing the amount of cornstarch, the blueberry ones call for 4 teaspoons but the cherry recipe here is using 4 tablespoons. Please confirm: teaspoons or tablespoons? Thanks for posting this recipe!

  3. I used fresh cherries from the tree in my backyard and these turned out amazing!! They’re exactly like Starbucks! My husband and I loved them.

  4. Maybe instead of two kinds of oats this should be 1/2 cup butter? Instructions say to crumble butter, but butter isn’t on list of ingredients? Typo?

  5. These just came out of the oven and I can’t wait to eat them! I had to make two attempts in making the cherry filling because when I added the cornstarch to the mixture, the cornstarch clumped up really bad and I couldn’t whisk it into the mixture… I ended up tossing it into the trash. My second attempt, I mixed the cornstarch with the lemon juice into a paste first and then added it to the cherries/sugar in the hot pot. It easily dissolved into the cherry filling that allowed it to thicken up properly!

  6. I’m confused. The cherry oat bars from Starbucks have a butter crumble topping with no oats in it. Are you sure the crust and the crumble topping are the same recipe?

  7. Thank you for this recipe. My son loves these bars, and I think they are seasonal. It is now September 7, 2016, and everything is all pumpkin and caramel at Starbucks! Do you think it would be OK to use a can of sour cherries (not cherry pie filling) and sweeten it? Or would it be better to go with the frozen cherries? Either way, I am very glad to have found this copycat recipe. My son (who is over 21!) was really disappointed when he couldn’t find them at Starbucks today.

    1. I don’t think you need to make it sweeter. With that said I haven’t tried it either way, so when you do comeback and let me know. Also if you use frozen cherries drain them first to take out that extra liquid. ❤️ I didn’t know they were seasonal either. Thanks for letting me know.

  8. I am so addicted to Starbucks Michigan Cherry Oat Bars. I purchase one everyday with my ice coffee. Unfortunately, I have gained weight and am now on an eating plan. My dietitian tells me I have to let go of my FAVORITE morning treat. I am so happy to find this recipe, Hopefully she will approve of it. I will definitely make my favorite cherry oat bar soon! Yahoo! …so happy!

  9. there wasn’t enough liquid in the cherry mixture to boil so i kept adding water…. Looks like I’m the only one?

    1. The juice from the cherries should add enough liquid for it to be the right consistency. It should just be enough to bubble and thicken. Maybe try with another batch of cherries, or try frozen ones. Hope this helps!

  10. Such a great combo! Every ingredient works perfectly together !! I have been advised to include oats in my diet due to my medical condition and this recipe is a combo of Simple, quick and healthy. Thanks for sharing

  11. I’ve made these about five times this cherry season and everyone who has tried them has loved them and asked for the recipe.
    Thank-you for a great recipe.

  12. 3 stars
    Topping was super dry and very very crumbly , not sure what I did wrong as followed the recipe to a t.
    What should I add more butter or tablespoon soon of water ?

    Could not eat as a bar, had to be on a plate .

    Cherry mixture was good,

    1. Hi Paula, I’m sorry to hear it turned out crumbly! You can add another tablespoon of butter at a time until you feel like it is too dry next time. Also, be sure to measure the flour by lightly spooning it into the measuring cup and not packing. If it’s packed, it will be too much and may make your baked goods dry. I hope this helps!

  13. Hi I tried this recipe twice. The first time the crust was not so golden but the bars were delicious neveetheless. So the 2nd time I baked the bottom crust alone for 15mins first, then added the cherry filling and top crust and baked again. But this time the although the bars look golden brown they are extremely crumbly. What holds your bars together after cooling and cutting ?

    1. It seems like the 2nd time around the bottom crust may have dried out from the first bake making it crumbly. The bars won’t turn a very deep golden brown, more of a light/pale color.

  14. 5 stars
    These cherry oat bars are an absolute favorite here! Such a delicious and yummy treat. We can’t wait to make these again!

  15. While searching online, I came across your website. The first thing that attracted me was the name. What a thoughtful name – dash of sanity. Will follow your recipes and surely try them outs. Thanks.

    1. These should freeze very well. Just let them cool completely, cut, then wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. They should keep for about 3 months this way. When you want to eat them, just thaw at room temperature and enjoy!

  16. 5 stars
    These bars are such a delicious and heavenly dessert! Definitely satisfies our sweet tooth and one of our favorites! Will be making these again very soon!

  17. 5 stars
    I’m not a fan of cherries, or at least I didn’t think I was until I made these. Now my husband wants to plant a cherry tree in our backyard!

  18. 3 stars
    The bars were very dry and crumbly. I followed the recipe exactly except used half the sugar. I added some maple syrup for added moisture and sweetness. I used a very nice layer of cherries that I had cooked down so there was juice from those as well. Being a Michigan girl, I can tell you these are more like a crisp to be eaten with ice cream than a bar to stand alon.

    1. Sorry, you had issues with the bar holding up. But really you didn’t follow the recipe, because you used 1/2 the sugar. Unless you follow the recipe exactly your star rating and comment are not true.

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