Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and egg. Stir well with a fork or pastry cutter until the flour mixture forms into small crumbs. You can also combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 3

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together pitted cherries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice until evenly coated.

Step 4

Line an 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 opposite sides to make it really easy to remove when baked.

Step 5

Spread half of the crumb mixture evenly into the baking dish and press it to pack it and form an even bottom crust.

Step 6

Spread the cherry mixture over the crust and crumble the remaining half of the crumb mixture on top.

Step 7

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the crust turns golden brown. Let it cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can serve it warm or let it cool completely to make it easier to cut. You can speed up on the process by storing in the refrigerator or freezer for 1 hour to help it set faster.

Step 8

Slice the cherry crumb bars into 9 or 16 squares and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side or or cold.