Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. While the oven heats, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk these dry ingredients together for about 30 seconds to evenly distribute the leavening agent—this ensures your crumble will have a consistent texture throughout.

Add the cold cubed butter to your dry mixture and use a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips to work it in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter throughout. This texture is crucial for a tender, crumbly topping. Once you reach this stage, add the egg and vanilla extract, stirring until just combined—be careful not to overwork the dough or it will become dense rather than crumbly.

Press about half of the crumble dough firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan, creating a compact base layer. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough down—it's much faster and more even than using your hands. Bake this base for 12-15 minutes until it's set but not browned; this partial bake helps prevent a soggy bottom when the filling is added.

Remove the partially baked crust from the oven and let it cool for just 1-2 minutes. Stir the almond extract into the cherry pie filling, then spread this mixture evenly over the warm crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the filling in irregular clumps, leaving some gaps so the filling shows through—this creates those beautiful, jammy pockets in the finished bars.

Bake the assembled bars for 30-40 minutes until the crumble topping is light golden brown and the cherry filling bubbles slightly at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes—I find that allowing bars to cool fully helps them set up properly so they hold together when cut and the flavors mellow slightly. I actually like cooling them for a full 30 minutes if you have the time.

While the bars cool, prepare the glaze by whisking together the sifted powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until you reach a smooth, pourable consistency. The lemon juice adds brightness that complements the cherries beautifully. Once the bars have cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze over the top in a thin, even layer and let it set for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.