CHERRY CRUMBLE BARS FOR TWO

Steps:

• Put a small baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Cut 1 piece of parchment to fit the bottom of a mini loaf pan so that it climbs halfway up the long ends; butter the paper lightly on the bottom and more heavily on the sides (including the exposed pan). Combine the preserves and the cherries in a small bowl.
• Toss the flour, oats, brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter, and mix with a fork until the flour mixture is moistened and starting to clump. Press a loosely packed 1/2 cup of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Spread the cherry mixture on top. Add the almonds to the remaining flour mixture, and squeeze it to make some larger chunks; sprinkle the almond-flour mixture over the cherry mixture, and press it in lightly.
• Bake the bar on the hot baking sheet until the cherry mixture bubbles and the streusel on top is nicely browned, 24 to 26 minutes. Let the bar cool on a cooling rack until lukewarm, then use the parchment to lift the bar out of the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment, and let the bar cool completely on the rack. Cut the bar in half on a long diagonal, and serve.