cherry-oat cream bars

Last year around this time I remember buying cherries en masse solely for the purpose of baking new recipes with them.  It never happened as the batch of cherries I got were so good, so sweet, so candy-like that I ate the whole lot. It was about 2 pounds of cherries in two days.
And after that I didn't buy anymore cherries as I was sick to them.

So this year, same story and I've made a recipe with them.
Plus another ice cream recipe--are you sick of ice cream yet?
I know I keep posting just ice cream
recipes, but that base recipe of no cook and no churn makes it so easy to whip up a batch.

Not fond of cherries?

Use blueberries, peaches, apricots would be fabulous (jam works too!)

So we've got a cookie-like base, with a cream cheese filling with added fresh cherries and then a crumb-cake like topping for added crunch.

cherry-oat cream bars
print recipe

for the dough:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 ts vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
½ ts baking powder
½  ts salt

cheesecake filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 ts vanilla extract
1 cup (or more*) chopped fresh cherries

crumb topping:
½ cup butter, very soft
¾ cup sugar
1 cup flour
½ ts salt
¾ cup rolled oats

cook notes:
I used about a cup of *chopped cherries.  Looking back I should have added more; there wasn’t enough cherries.
If you don’t like or don’t have cherries you can use any type of other fruit or jam.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add in the dry ingredients and mix till just combined.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, set in fridge a few hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, mix up the cream cheese filling.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until nice and smooth. Set side.
Take out chilled dough, and press into a well-greased 9x13 baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Next put the cream cheese filling over the crust, making sure not to get to the edges.
Take your chopped fresh cherries and place over the cream cheese filling.
For the crumb topping, mix the softened butter with the sugar, flour, salt and oats.  Mix well.  Place in large clumps over the top of the cherries and cream cheese filling.  Make sure to get into the corners of the pan.
Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom is golden brown as well.
Please let these cool in the place before slicing.