1-Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 375°F.

2-Line an 8-inch square baking pan: Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and butter the sides and bottom.

3-Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups fresh cherries (pitted and halved), 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to make the filling.

4-Combine butter and sugar: In a large bowl, combine ½ cup melted and cooled unsalted butter with ½ cup granulated sugar.

5-Add dry ingredients: Add 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the butter mixture. Stir with a fork until it forms crumbs.

6-Reserve crumb mixture: Reserve ¾ cup of the crumb mixture for topping.

7-Press crumbs for crust: Press the remaining crumbs firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the crust.

8-Spread cherry filling: Spread the cherry filling evenly over the crust.

9-Sprinkle crumb topping: Sprinkle the reserved ¾ cup crumb mixture evenly over the cherries.

10-Sprinkle sugar: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon granulated sugar on top of the crumb topping.

11-Bake: Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

12-Cool before cutting: Cool completely before cutting into bars.